Dr. Henning Duderstadt was most recently involved in the operational management of the Open Innovation City project. He joined Third Element Aviation at the beginning of the year as Chief Financial Officer and third member of the Executive Board. In this article, he talks about his path to 3EA.

Henning, who are you and what do you do now at Third Element Aviation?

Well, my role is CFO – Chief Financial Officer – and I support the management in all financial matters as well as organizational development and networking!

What I’m most interested in at the moment is gaining an insight into the processes and work steps. I’m not an engineer and don’t have to and shouldn’t intervene in software or hardware development, but of course it’s important to really understand the products. So I approach things from an external perspective – even though I’ve been able to look inside the company for over two years now. I would have liked to have joined earlier, but as I was still involved in the Open Innovation City project, I was only able to join now.

You’ve just mentioned that you came from a project. What kind of background did you come to us from in general?

My background is in finance. I trained in business administration at the bank and have an MBA in Managing Financial Institutions. So I’m actually at home in the financial sector.

However, I decided in 2019 that I wanted to do something else. And I took the opportunity that presented itself to take operational responsibility for an exploratory project on the topic of open innovation and ecosystems. I had previously developed new business models at the bank and most recently promoted open innovation between start-ups and companies – so I was already fundamentally active in the field.

But you’ve actually been here for almost three years – in what form was that before you became CFO?

Funnily enough, I’ve actually been involved with the founding team for much longer because I had already gotten to know Height Tech beforehand and was then also involved in the founding of Third Element Aviation – at that time from the bank’s side. When I left the bank, it was also possible for me to work for the company in an advisory capacity.

When the advisory board was created following the entry of a strategic investor, it was Marius’ wish to support it. I couldn’t turn down this request and then became Chairman of the Advisory Board and was happy to take on this role. So at least I have always accompanied the company from this flying height, which of course makes it easier to get involved in operations now.

So you’ve been part of the Advisory Board since when? What was that time like?

We got together in 2021. That’s when I really realized for the first time what market potential we could tap into with the many use cases here. And what special positioning we have for this, which I could only guess at until then. Then to see where we stand, what we need to work on, that was a lot of fun. There are also many things that you can be very proud of, even though you might take them for granted when you work here every day.

What opportunities do you see in this market?

To be honest, I can’t imagine a pizza or fries being delivered to your doorstep by drone. However, I understand very well why drone technology simply makes sense in medical logistics or just-in-time logistics across large factory sites. If a van continues to drive across a factory site, it’s a bit like the development in school, where people have still been writing on the blackboard for 100 years.

And what exactly interested you about 3EA that made you want to continue working on it?

It actually came from this desire for a career change, i.e. the question of where I see myself professionally in the future. And 3EA was an opportunity that really fascinated me. After all, it’s not very common of course to do such a job part-time. And it was simply a huge stroke of luck for me, because I wanted to continue to position myself in the academic environment and at the same time had the opportunity to become a university lecturer for business start-ups and the main topics of my content there are also digital economy, innovation and change management. And so I hope that I can offer students added value with my practical experience and perhaps also be a gateway for new employees here. 

And I believe that I can now contribute even more explicitly what I have already contributed here as an advisory board member.

I’m sure I’ll also learn a lot, because working in a start-up is of course very different from working with start-ups.

What are you looking forward to during your time here, what are your plans?

First of all, I’m really pleased that it’s possible to combine both jobs in this way. There are a lot of things I’m planning to do in the medium and short term, but at the moment the short-term topics simply outweigh the long-term ones. This also makes the learning curve extremely steep. In addition – and this is often the case in small companies – there are hardly any hierarchical levels, in a positive sense little procedural organization, so you can actually get involved quickly everywhere. So you can quickly learn how the company ticks on a day-to-day basis.

And I hope that research and development projects will continue to cross-fertilize each other here. Influence from current scientific ideas, especially in the area of open innovation. Because this company has an incredible number of collaborations for its size – and that alone is an invaluable achievement.

Welcome to the team, Henning, and have a great start to your new adventure together!

Second photo: ©World Open Innovation Conference, Bilbao (2023): https://worldopeninnovation.com/

#thirdelementaviation #3ea #TheFutureIsAirborne #drone #UAV #UAS #innovation

A successful and eventful 2023 lies behind us.

We would like to thank everyone who was a part of it and say goodbye with a few impressions from this year’s Christmas party.

The entire 3EA team wishes you a peaceful and happy holiday season and a happy new year 2024!

#thirdelementaviation #3ea #thefutureisairborne #drone #happyholidays #merrychristmas #froheweihnachten

It was exactly one week ago that we had the pleasure of attending the Blazers Bounty.

 Our partners The Trailblazers brought all their partners together to celebrate their third birthday – and, fittingly, their newly won title of TOP3 PR agency. To celebrate, but also to think about the future, because Desirable Futures was the motto. And in the end, that was the common ground for everyone: the firm belief that we can contribute to a desirable future. It was a great day at the Pioneer’s Club and the Founders Foundation with exciting insights and conversations. Dear Trailblazers, we congratulate and thank you for the great event and were very happy to be there (even with Auriol!).

#thirdelementaviation #3ea #thefutureisairborne #drone #future #blazersbounty

Since the beginning of this year, Heiko Schenk is a new face with us and supports us in hardware development and as a test pilot. Working at Third Element Aviation is by no means his first encounter with drones: Heiko Schenk is a former German Drone Racing Champion and has raced all over the world.

Heiko, how did you come to 3EA?

At a party of a former sponsor and current friend, a mutual customer was a guest, who then directly contacted Third Element Aviation when he heard that I was on the lookout. We talked and now I’ve been here since the beginning of January. Before that, I was a trained IT specialist and was a support for ERP systems.

And you have more than a little prior experience with drones, right?

I did drone racing semi-professionally, so I worked part-time, but I also made money racing. That’s when I designed, milled and sold frames for the racing drones myself. I also had the opportunity to develop my own motor with the company T-Motor and there was also a “Heiko Schenk” racing propeller.

How do you even get into doing something like that?

I thought drones were kind of cool right when the topic started. It started with a photo drone, but that was boring after a few times. I quickly developed it a bit more myself. At some point I saw a video of FPV (First Person View) drones racing through the forest. On the same day, a beginner’s set was ordered, tried out and I was immediately hooked. With a FPV headset, the body is fooled and you have the feeling of sitting in the drone. It has something of the “dream of flying”, being free like a bird, being able to observe everything from above.

Since I am a competitive guy, after two weeks of flight training I made the decision that I want to become German Champion in the Drone Racing category. After nine months, I was already flying internationally, flying for teams and, until Corona came along, had been to over 30 countries.

Wow, and then where have you been? What’s the most impressive thing that stuck with you?

There’s so much – I flew over the Great Wall of China, over the Champs-Élysées, which was terribly impressive because there were so many people at the event. There was once a Redbull event on a Formula 1 track in Austria, where you flew through a hoop of fire, and a salt mine in Romania. I have also been to the USA, Brussels, South Korea and many other places. Additionally, I gave drone racing lessons at a Chinese school as part of a project week.

But now your drone racing time is behind you? Do you miss it sometimes?

Because of Corona, there were no more events in the international scene from one day to the next. During this time I dedicated myself more to FreeStyle flying and currently I don’t fly competitively anymore.

Sure, I miss the time somehow. But everything has its place in life and I am happy that I could turn my passion into a profession. They were beautiful but also intense five years from 2016 to 2021.

What do you bring back from that time for your work here?

Understanding drones and how they work, which is just something completely different again than with model planes. Weight, for example, is much more important. Also, drones are much more active when flying. The experiences I gained in my racing days help me in my job in many places: be it tuning, aerodynamic effects, vibration, radio or battery issues.

What do you like about your job and the company?

I like that the team consists of so many different people: people from the automotive industry, aeronautics, physicists, robotics and many others. And the work is not monotonous. There are many facets, whether it’s in development, flying in systems, or on-site with customers. And the flexible working hours are great.

Is there anything particularly memorable about your time here so far and is there anything you would like to see in the future?

Flying our 25kg drone Auriol for the first time was impressive. I would love to fly it through a course with FPV headset. The sound would be amazing. 

And last but not least: What advice would you give to other people who want to be part of the team?

That you should dare: this field is not something you can have learned the classical way. If you have flown something actively as a hobby, and have developed a little yourself, you can definitely bring that to the table. So anyone who is interested in the subject should apply.

(Thanks to Heiko Schenk for the additional photos!)

#thirdelementaviation #3ea #thefutureisairborne #drone #UAV #UAS #droneracing #interview #erfahrungsbericht #Auriol #FPV #FPVracing #3EAstelltvor #3EAintroduces #fpvlife #fpvdrones

So there it is: the AURIOL! The week before last, we delivered the system for the first time. We hope for many more such moments, of course.

The AURIOL is our newest and largest drone to date. It sets new standards in the UAV sector: with a maximum take-off weight of 25kg, the octocopter is particularly suitable for use cases that require high payloads or long distances.

Redundant motors, four battery packs, integrated parachute and many other safety features ensure maximum stability and safety with the best possible performance. This makes the AURIOL perfectly suited for the delivery of urgently needed goods, integration of special sensors and many other application scenarios.

More technical details? We have! Here: https://3rd-element.com/auriol/

Still questions or direct interest? Report directly here: https://3rd-element.com/contact/

#thirdelementaviation #3ea #thefutureisairborne #drone #UAV #UAS #AURIOL #logistics #logistik #innovation #heavycargo #drones