April 23 talk at Freedom Museum on electric aviation without a pilot in your personal air vehicle

Since long ago, mankind has dreamed of soaring on the winds like a bird.  Now, little more than a century after that dream became reality, a new frontier is upon us — aircraft capable of carrying passengers and cargo without the aid of a human being in the pilot’s seat.

At the Freedom Museum on April 23, at 7:30 p.m., Matt Carstensen, a project manager for Aurora Flight Sciences (a Boeing Company) electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) program will take attendees on a journey.  You will travel into a new world as he provides an overview of electric aircraft and its commercial application; a discussion of aviation project management, particularly how it relates to military aviation; and how his military experience prepared him for this type of career.

Aurora’s eVTOL, known as the Personal Air Vehicle (PAV), had its first successful, highly publicized flight at the Manassas Regional Airport in January. 

Carstensen served four years in the US Navy at Strategic Air Command Wing One where he was a supervisor in the Aviation Electrician work center.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and international relations from Syracuse University and a Master of Business Administration from The University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  He is an avid runner, history enthusiast, and SCUBA diver.

The Freedom Museum is in the Terminal Building at the Manassas Regional Airport, 10600 Harry J. Parrish Blvd, Manassas, VA 20110.

Admission is free and light refreshments will be available.  For directions, go to http://www.freedommuseum.org .