In this episode of our ‘Sustainability in the Air’ podcast, Anders Forslund, Co-founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace, speaks with SimpliFlying’s CEO Shashank Nigam about the radical transformation his electric aircraft company has undergone in the past year—relocating from Sweden to Los Angeles and fundamentally changing how aerospace companies operate in the 21st century.
When Forslund first appeared on the podcast nearly two and a half years ago, Heart Aerospace had just revised its 19-seat ES-19 aircraft design and develop a 30-seat regional airliner called the ES-30. In 2024, the company unveiled its first full-scale demonstrator airplane, marking a major milestone in the development of the ES-30.
Here are the key highlights of the conversation:
Heart Aerospace’s relocation from Sweden to Silicon Valley (2:57)
Why aerospace product development must change for the 21st century (4:49)
The “plane and pile” story: rethinking documentation obsession (8:56)
Aerospace’s talent crisis and why top performers avoid the industry (12:09)
Electric aviation as a software revolution beyond propulsion systems (21:43)
Why every aerospace OEM is actually a software company (22:16)
Managing uncertainty in business (26:30)
Regional aviation as the “canary in the coal mine” for industry problems (31:28)
Keep reading for a detailed overview of the episode.
Why Heart Aerospace’s approach to product development matters
Heart Aerospace is positioning itself at the forefront of a long-overdue evolution in aerospace product development.
By rethinking traditional processes—from team structures to documentation practices—the company is embracing a new development model better aligned with the pace and demands of 21st-century innovation. In an industry where clean-sheet aircraft have become increasingly rare, Heart offers a hopeful blueprint for how aerospace can regain its innovative edge.
Forslund notes that “product development has changed drastically in the last 10 years. And as an aerospace company today, unless you adapt to those changes, you will struggle to be successful.” His view reflects a broader technological shift in which software capabilities increasingly drive product performance, yet many aerospace companies continue to operate with a hardware-centric mindset.
At the same time, traditional aerospace development cycles—characterised by extensive documentation and risk-averse cultures—are increasingly out of sync with the fast, iterative cycles that define modern tech development. Without change, legacy players risk losing relevance as mission-driven tech firms attract top talent and investment.
Heart Aerospace’s approach is a key test case: can aerospace adopt modern product development methods while preserving the safety and reliability that define the industry?
4 takeaways from the conversation
1. Challenging the aerospace experience orthodoxy
Heart Aerospace has taken an unconventional approach to hiring, prioritising technology expertise over conventional aerospace backgrounds. As part of its recent relocation from Sweden to Los Angeles, the company restructured its team, bringing in personnel from SpaceX, Tesla, and other technology firms.
The shift reflects Forslund’s view of a broader industry challenge. “We haven’t built a clean-sheet aircraft in a decade,” he said. “And it’s very unclear, even looking into the future, what the next aircraft is going to be. So, how are you going to attract the right talent to join the cause? Because you don’t really have a cause, right?”
His remarks highlight a cycle in which the scarcity of new aircraft programmes limits opportunities for engineers to gain hands-on experience with clean-sheet development.
Forslund argues that the optimal team composition for aerospace startups should include one-third aerospace veterans, with the rest split between technology specialists and scaling experts.
It’s an approach that recognises electrification as more than a propulsion system substitution—it requires fundamental rethinking of aircraft architecture, software integration, and manufacturing processes. Traditional aerospace experience, whilst valuable for understanding regulatory requirements and safety culture, may hinder the innovative thinking required for breakthrough products.
2. The shift from documentation obsession to software-first thinking
Heart Aerospace's approach to documentation is one of seven core principles Forslund developed for modern product development, stemming from his academic background in robust design and quality practices.
During his PhD studies, Forslund was introduced to what he refers to as “the story about the plane and the pile”—the aerospace industry's belief that documentation should outweigh the aircraft, with 20 tons of paperwork for a 20-ton aircraft serving as proof of proper development.
While he initially accepted this as a sign of thoroughness, Forslund later began to question its effectiveness: “Who knows what’s in these papers? Who is internalising what’s in these papers? Who are they for?”
Drawing on his engineering background, he applied design efficiency principles to documentation, suggesting that “just like an aircraft structure needs to have a good strength-to-weight ratio, documentation needs to have a really good signal-to-noise ratio.”
This perspective treats documentation in a way similar to software development, where a well-designed algorithm performs its task efficiently, using minimal resources. Forslund notes the irony that generating extensive paperwork, once considered evidence of rigorous development, is now “just a few ChatGPT prompts away”, raising questions about whether volume alone remains a meaningful indicator of quality.
3. Vertical integration as a competitive advantage in modern aerospace
The company's move toward vertical integration marks a conscious shift back to traditional aerospace practices, challenging the outsourcing trends that have dominated the sector for the past two decades.
For Forslund, it’s part of a broader vision to modernise aircraft development, reflecting his belief that current supply chain structures have become impediments rather than catalysts for new aircraft programmes.
“A high level of vertical integration is the most efficient way to run aerospace companies,” he argues, noting that historically, “when the industry was building a lot of aircraft, companies were much more vertically integrated. That used to be the norm.”
The shift away from this model began during the outsourcing boom of the late 1990s, when new aircraft programmes became scarcer. Companies found themselves unable to justify keeping large engineering teams busy between projects. As Forslund explains, a company would recognise they didn’t “have enough new programmes to keep the entire engineering workforce busy,” leading them to specialise in specific components like landing gear and sell those services to other manufacturers.
This specialisation worked well when there were enough aircraft programmes to maintain expertise. But as Forslund points out, “when we start not building any new planes at all,” the model breaks down. Without regular application, specialised knowledge atrophies, and the complex web of suppliers becomes “increasingly unruly and fragmented.”
He identifies two effective paths to building high-quality products efficiently: either maintaining current expertise through recent, similar projects or developing a comprehensive understanding from the aircraft level down to individual components.
Since new aircraft programmes are rare, vertical integration gives Heart Aerospace the ability to retain full control over design decisions and development pace—particularly important for electric aircraft where traditional suppliers may lack relevant experience.
4. Managing uncertainty as a strategic advantage
Embracing uncertainty may be Heart Aerospace’s most radical departure from traditional aerospace thinking. Rather than minimising risk, Forslund sees value in leaning into it as a source of agility and competitive edge.
This approach acknowledges that modern business environments are inherently unpredictable, with rapid changes in technology, regulation, and market conditions. It emphasises continuous experimentation and willingness to change direction based on new information rather than rigidly following predetermined plans.
It also demands organisational capabilities that support rapid decision-making and agile course correction—marking a significant shift from aerospace’s traditional focus on detailed upfront planning and extensive validation processes.
Heart Aerospace’s philosophy, as Forslund puts it, reflects Charles Darwin’s observation that “it’s not the strongest that survive, but the [ones] most adaptable to change.”
In an industry undergoing rapid technological shifts, evolving regulations, and rising customer demands, adaptability may now be the most critical measure of resilience and long-term success.
Get our new book
Our new book Sustainability in the Air: Volume Two is now available for purchase on Amazon. Learn more about the startups, strategists, and sceptics working to close the gap between growth and green ambition.
‘Sustainability in the Air’ is the world’s leading podcast dedicated to sustainable aviation. Through in-depth conversations with top aviation leaders, we break through the clutter and provide a clear roadmap for a net-zero future.
