Interview with CEO Kevin Noertker: Revolutionizing Electric Flight

Interview with Kevin Noertker: Building Ampaire and the Future of Sustainable Aviation

Introduction

Kevin Noertker is the co-founder and CEO of Ampaire, a California-based startup pioneering hybrid-electric aircraft. With a background in mechanical engineering from Caltech and early career experience in stealth technology and satellite programs at Northrop Grumman, Noertker has always sought work that is meaningful, challenging, and visible. In our conversation, he reflected on what led him to launch Ampaire, his philosophy on innovation, and how hybrid-electric aviation can transform the industry.

From Northrop to Entrepreneurship

After graduating from Caltech, Noertker joined Northrop Grumman, where he worked on advanced stealth R&D and later became a program manager for satellite projects. While the technology was cutting-edge, he found himself drawn not only to engineering but also to how technology intersects with the world. He wanted to tackle problems with direct, global impact. In 2015, the idea of aircraft electrification caught his attention. It was compelling enough that he felt he had no alternative but to try. Ampaire was born from that conviction.

Advice for Emerging Aerospace Startups

Noertker emphasized that startups cannot succeed on cool technology alone. To thrive, they must deliver products that solve big problems and make economic sense for customers. Too many ventures, he argues, rely on subsidies or niche markets. Instead, he believes in building products that are “economic no-brainers,” able to scale rapidly without requiring customers to depend on outside incentives. His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: choose a challenge that is meaningful to the world, inspiring to you personally, and economically compelling to those who will use it.

Defining Work by Three Values

For more than two decades, Noertker has used three words to guide his career decisions: meaningful, challenging, and visible. Ampaire embodies all three. It is meaningful in its potential to cut emissions and reduce the cost of flight. It is challenging because hardware-intensive aerospace startups must navigate complex engineering, regulatory, and financial hurdles. And it is visible, not only in public demonstrations of hybrid-electric aircraft but also in its potential to inspire broader innovation across the industry.

Navigating Aerospace’s Hard Realities

“Aerospace is always hard,” Noertker explained, “you never get over that—it stays hard.” The key, he says, is focus. Ampaire chose to specialize in hybrid-electric propulsion systems rather than design entirely new aircraft. By upgrading existing planes with new propulsion, they reduced risk, controlled scope, and moved faster than competitors trying to reinvent both propulsion and airframes. This laser focus allowed Ampaire to deploy its first hybrid-electric aircraft in Hawaii in 2020.

Another lesson came from infrastructure. While building their demonstrator aircraft was difficult, getting a single charger installed at an airport proved harder. That experience convinced Noertker that hybrids—not fully electric aircraft—were the practical first step, eliminating the need for widespread charging infrastructure while still delivering sustainability gains. Just as hybrid cars paved the way for fully electric vehicles, hybrid aircraft will serve as aviation’s gateway technology.

Competition, Breakthroughs, and the Road Ahead

Ampaire differentiates itself from competitors by staying focused on propulsion rather than spreading resources too thin. Other companies pursue hydrogen fuel, full-electric systems, or entirely new aircraft designs—all exciting but riskier and slower to market. Ampaire’s approach is to build practical solutions that can scale now, while still laying the groundwork for more advanced electrification.

Noertker also highlighted several breakthroughs Ampaire has achieved, including being the first company to receive an FAA G1 issue paper—an early step toward certifying hybrid-electric propulsion. He sees each certification milestone and hardware advance in batteries, motors, and cooling systems as incremental breakthroughs that will accelerate future innovation.

Rethinking Aviation Policy

When asked how he would redesign U.S. aviation policy, Noertker pointed to accessibility of information. Regulations already exist, but they are complex and difficult for innovators to navigate. He imagines a system where regulations are structured and accessible in ways similar to modern AI tools—fast, intuitive, and clear—allowing innovators to align with FAA expectations earlier and more efficiently. This, he argues, would supercharge innovation without compromising safety.

The Core of Ampaire’s Mission

If Noertker could inscribe three words on every Ampaire aircraft, they would be the same ones at the heart of the company’s mission: trusted, practical, compelling. Trust is earned through rigorous safety and reliability. Practicality ensures operators can adopt the technology seamlessly. And compelling reflects the value of creating aircraft that customers want to fly, investors want to back, and passengers want to ride.

Conclusion

Kevin Noertker’s journey from stealth R&D at Northrop Grumman to co-founding Ampaire reflects a career driven by impact and focus. By choosing hybrid-electric propulsion, Ampaire has carved a practical path toward sustainable aviation, one that balances ambition with real-world constraints. For students and future entrepreneurs, Noertker’s advice resonates: pursue meaningful work, embrace challenges, make it visible—and always ensure your innovation creates undeniable value.