Archer Aviation CEO Adam Goldstein and Game Aerospace Co-Founder Steuart Walton offered insight into how the aviation industry’s next wave of innovation will unfold during the opening session of NBAA-BACE Tuesday. Speaking before a full audience on the Flight Deck stage, the two discussed how regulatory progress, economic trends, and workforce development are creating the foundation for breakthrough technologies. The NBAA session was moderated by CNN Correspondent Pete Muntean.
Goldstein said Archer’s vision is built around making air travel part of daily life through its four-passenger Midnight eVTOL aircraft, now nearing FAA type certification.
“Flying is going to be used differently… for everyday use,” Goldstein said. “That’s the dream we’re trying to build.”
He added that artificial intelligence could also become key to advancing air traffic control systems as aviation generates increasing amounts of flight data.
Walton, chairman of Game Aerospace and a longtime advocate for advanced air mobility, spoke about how rebuilding America’s industrial base can help drive innovation.
“Like the energy going into on-shoring manufacturing – rebuilding our industrial base, really creating jobs and doing that with innovative projects. I get so fired up about that,” he said.
Walton noted that a skilled workforce will be essential to support this growth and announced plans for a new applied STEM and AI school on the former Walmart campus in Bentonville, Arkansas. His company is currently developing the GB2 StormBird, a purpose-built single-engine firefighting aircraft designed for the demanding environments of U.S. wildfire operations. Walton also emphasized collaboration across the industry,
“The bigger this tent gets, the more competitive it gets and the more innovation happens.”
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