“I want to see the eVTOL fly!”
Thomas Kronsteiner, Mechanical Design Passioneer @ERC
“I want to see the eVTOL fly!”
Thomas Kronsteiner, Mechanical Design Passioneer @ERC
Flat hierarchies, a young and open team – this is now the standard of many start-ups and also applies to ERC. With one exception: all our employees have a common dream that is bigger than themselves. Namely, to build an aircraft that will outlast them and have a lasting and positive impact on the lives of people all over the world.
In our employee stories, we introduce you to the people behind the #BiggerThanUs dream. One of them is Thomas Kronsteiner.
Thomas, your path led you from studying mechanical engineering in Austria to studying aerospace at TUM, and finally to ERC, where everyone is working together to make the dream of flying come true. Where does your passion for flying come from?
Even as a child, I loved to fly with my father in a motor glider. So the fascination for flying is something I was practically born with. For me, it was only logical to take my professional path in this direction.
“As a team, we will manage to achieve our goal and thus make the world a little bit better with our eVTOL.“
As the mechanical design engineer at ERC, you have a very important role: You add to and shape the visions of your colleagues and thus to the idea behind #BiggerThanUs. What does #BiggerThanUs mean to you personally?
At first glance, the project and all the associated tasks in all the different fields seem almost impossible to manage, hence #BiggerThanUs. But I am convinced that together as a team, and with our combined competencies, we will manage to achieve our goal and thus make the world a little bit better with our eVTOL.
Especially in front of a mountain of work, it can be hard to stay motivated to get the job done. By illustrating how the eVTOL will look later, you motivate the entire ERC team with your work. But what motivates you at ERC, day after day?
This is easy to answer: I want to see the eVTOL fly in the sky!
Making the eVTOL fly will be a big challenge for the whole team. What has been your biggest challenge so far at ERC?
The hardest thing so far has probably been deciding where best to start. But the really big challenges are likely yet to come.
You’ve only been with ERC for a few months. Still, you’ve probably already established a daily working routine. What does it look like on your end?
For starters, I take my bike to work, which I find to be a great substitute for caffeine. 😉
Weekly meetings on the structure design, designing components in 3D CAD, checking colleagues’ designs, and revising them if necessary. That’s the purely “on-duty” stuff. Apart from that, we now also try to have lunch together outside during summer. Naturally, it’s important for colleagues to have conversations away from the work topics.
What else do you do at ERC besides the mechanical design?
On the one hand, we are in the process of introducing a product lifecycle management system and setting up a corresponding product structure. This will make inconsistencies visible and will reduce future errors in our work. On the other hand, I’m designing the aircraft with input from other departments, from aerodynamics to avionics, and hopefully, I’ll get more support soon.
“The opportunity to be involved in the development of an eVTOL from the very beginning is rare.“
You raise an important point there: You are looking for more Passioneers! Why did you choose ERC as your employer and what makes working here so special?
In contrast to many large companies, we work in a small, flexible, and dynamic team that can still make a lot of things happen. The opportunity to be involved in the development of an eVTOL from (almost) the very beginning is rare. And, of course, there are the short, unbureaucratic channels, the collegial interaction, and the concentrated competence coming from everyone. This is an incredibly motivating environment in which you can enjoy spending your working hours!
Would you also like to become a Passioneer at ERC? If so, take a look at our career page.
About eRC-System GmbH
eRC-System GmbH develops a manned electrical vertical takeoff and landing vehicle, having all aspects of certified aerospace products in mind, right from the start. The company is closely cooperating with suppliers, partners and authorities in order to realize sustainable solutions for technical, operational, and infrastructural challenges.
ERC was founded in 2020 by a team of aerospace engineers that already has gained experience in this field for many years. Being pioneers in the development of new technologies that will last beyond a human and that will have impact on the daily lives of millions, requires ERC’s “Passioneering spirit” – the combination of passion and know-how.
Being well-funded, the initial team already grew a full-featured company around the topic that is still prospering fast and highly dynamic.
