The Vertical Space
The Vertical Space
Jim Barry, Peter Shannon & Luka Tomljenovic
#105 Ben Ivers, Boeing: Airspace modernization
1 hour 6 minutes Posted Dec 16, 2025 at 4:00 pm.
Automated Flight Rules Are Ready Now
Role at Boeing and Industry Insights
Biggest Misconceptions Around Autonomous Flight Rules
AFR Summarized
Difference Between AFR and UTM
The Before And After of AFR
The Future of Air Travel: Reducing Commute Times
AFR Success Metrics
SkyGrid sponsor segment
Economic Opportunities in Digitized Airspace
Challenges and Future of Automated Flight Rules
Boeing's Obligation To Look To The Future
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Show notes
In this episode, we sit down with Ben Ivers (Boeing’s Director of Emerging Technologies & Regulatory Strategy) to unpack a deceptively simple idea: airspace modernization isn’t optional anymore and the tech to enable “automated flight rules” (AFR) is largely ready today. Ben argues the hard part isn’t the technology, but introducing a new flight mode alongside VFR and IFR that can scale drones, eVTOLs, and future autonomous operations without turning the sky into sanitized corridors reser...