A Father and his 12 years old son's quest to construct a Flying Taxi

Would you believe that a 12-year-old is part of a team building a flying taxi? That's what's happening with Ewan, the son of our guest, Tom Steyer, who shares how this project is not just about engineering, but about imparting real-world lessons on collaboration, teamwork, and skill-building. Tom, with his finance background, wonderfully illustrates how this project operates like a real company, with different teams collaborating and breaking down silos, a perfect model of workplace dynamics.

This episode is not just about technology; it’s about life lessons. We explore how homeschooling students like Ewan can be enriched by such hands-on experiences, and how workplace collaborations can benefit from a mix of personalities and skills. Tom and I delve into the importance of mentorship, the intriguing balance between structure and flexibility in continuous learning, and the critical role of teamwork in achieving success. Join us for this enlightening conversation and discover the joy Tom and Ewan are finding in their extraordinary project.

Thank you for joining us on this episode of "Takeaway with the MEF."

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Do you reckon it'll fly? What the drone? Well, I have to say yes, don't I Takeaway with the MVA? This series follows a group of students and industry experts as the joint forces to create a flying taxi, or EVTOL. I'm your host, naraj, and this is a conversation I had with Tom Steyer, one of the parents involved for the team. Tom has a finance background, but that doesn't stop him from getting into the thick of things, along with his 12 year old son, ewan. Let's take it away.

Speaker 2: 0:41

How's the scoring schooling going? Yeah, alright, I don't do any of it. This is my contribution to the home schooling. Bethan does it, the wife does it, ah, okay, that's why I'm interested in this, because it's set up like a real company almost. You know, like you've got different teams, different areas. He'll hopefully get to try different things and see how you have to interact with people. Mm-hmm, you've got to wait for some people. You've got to help other people how it works across the team. You know he likes 3D print-in-bodies. Yeah, at 12 to be able to go.

Speaker 1: 1:14

Yeah, I can do a bit of CAD and you picked up that skill in a few weeks.

Speaker 2: 1:18

Yeah, well, realistically it's what? Three hours when you came in and showed him the mirroring thing and like he didn't know that. But now he does, and he's just building, isn't he?

Speaker 1: 1:29

He's building a store box of what's possible and what's not and one of the advantages that you'll find working in an industry group like this is that, as a way to supplement, is what I was learning on YouTube. On YouTube, a lot of the CAD tutorials. They'll show you how to do things, but not through best practices of what's actually done in industry.

Speaker 2: 1:49

Yeah, that's. The only trouble with picking it up quickly is you just work out how to do it, not how to tidally. Yeah, which is great, I think, at the start, until you go. Oh yeah, now I want to go further. Then maybe you do a proper course. Absolutely and then you get the.

Speaker 1: 2:01

And it's all about play at the end of the day, so as long as you're just playing with it and having fun, that's all that really matters, yeah.

Speaker 2: 2:08

You know, like, if you can do that at 12, by the time you're sort of 15 and looking for some work experience or something you should hopefully after a project like this. You go, well, I like CAD, or I actually don't like it, but I understand where it, at least I understand where it goes in the we fits where it fits in the whole thing. If you go, oh, I really like aerospace, or he might find that he doesn't really like that and he might want to have a look at the business and marketing and advertising. And you know, like, because Tim said out, we're such a broad parameters and so many teams you can nearly, it nearly covers the whole, yeah, yeah, exactly the whole spectrum of work.

Speaker 1: 2:41

So actually that's a really good point. It's sort of almost a career guidance kind of thing. Yeah, because when I, after high school, I decided I was going to pick engineering, I actually had no idea what day to day, what I would actually end up doing, and I just thought it was cool, you know, yeah, but what we're doing here, like you say, you get the whole process, that at least you can see trade, the different fields and how they operate within themselves and it seems really flexible.

Speaker 2: 3:12

Like it seems flexible especially for his age. He's not going to be material to any of the individual streams. He's going to be doing little bits here and there. Yeah, he can sort of float across all the streams and see, and absolutely see what he feels like or what he fancies. And because it's over, I presume it's going to be over a couple of years of different stuff. Then you know, as you change and you grow and you can just try it and why not phase four some to go between the teams just to see it, yeah, and not to work. You know, if you don't do this and you've gotten, but yeah, encourage them to do it. Yeah, encourage them to do it and give them maybe a task within that team to do. And if they go right here I've done that but I'm done now then okay, go and try a different team. You know, don't always do the things that you comfortable and you know you're comfortable and you really enjoy like, this is a good option.

Speaker 1: 3:59

Try some other stuff in the workplaces that you get siloed exactly a protective about their particular field and Anyone else doing any other thing, you know, it's not really important.

Speaker 2: 4:13

Yeah is one of the car companies might be in Toyota they're having lots of trouble with Maintenance and mechanics arguing after saying, I who put this here because I can't reach it. And they said, right, the team that's in design, once the project is finished, you're gonna be part of, you're then gonna swap to be maintenance for that product. So all of a sudden they were encouraged to go right, how are we gonna design this? Because we got to look after it after. Yeah, just, you know it's having those broken down, those silos.

Speaker 1: 4:42

How did you get involved with with this team? How did you hear about it? It was through MEF. Yeah, through Tim. What have you seen so far from being involved with without for the sun? Who's 12 years old?

Speaker 2: 4:55

I like playing around with bits, so yeah. Find in the drone, flying the drone, and then you know weight test in the drone and you're probably one of the most involved.

Speaker 1: 5:04

I don't very one. I think too much was it all just a ploy? Ploy to get like to get in and do stuff.

Speaker 2: 5:12

I Think it's really good, like it's fun, yeah, and it's experience for them to see how a whole team works. Hmm, the knowledge that you guys have got it's high end. It's not sort of people just fumbling around in the dark. Yeah, it's proper corporate.

Speaker 1: 5:27

That's what we make you think, you know, yeah, I think it's a really good opportunity.

Speaker 2: 5:32

I wish I had something like this when I was 12. Is right on the, probably the age of you know. Do they really need it? No, but is it gonna do any harm? Like we were saying when I left school it's like I, what do I like our math and physics? I'm just gonna do geophysics, yeah, then got a job in it for a bit and then got a bit bored of that. But it just living in the bush got enough after two years. Yeah, I just fell into stuff. Yeah, do you reckon it'll fly?

Speaker 1: 6:01

What the drone? Well, I have to say yes, don't I?

Speaker 2: 6:04

I don't know if this one. I think when they dismantled it they've broken it, so I don't know if it did they. I don't know.

Speaker 2: 6:09

It doesn't seem to want to work at the moment, but it's good, a good challenge for the electrical team to try and fiddle out why yeah yeah, what'll be nice if there's not conflict, but if there's Decisions that need to be like at the moment, there's no real decision to be made because we haven't got to the point where something's, yeah, gone wrong, it hasn't worked, and then you go well, do we scrap it, do we go here, do we go there? And that's gonna be a really interesting be interesting, yeah, yeah. How, how the various teams are gonna have this say and then who's gonna have the ultimate say? And yeah, and on what basis and how do you?

Speaker 1: 6:43

because that's gonna happen. Yes, yeah.

Speaker 2: 6:45

Mmm, that'll be it. You know, and again I think, seeing these processes, that will play out. I hope they play out. Hmm, it's not gonna just fly and you put 200 kilos on off again. Yeah, happy days, yeah, there's gonna be this thing doesn't work, it doesn't flip, it doesn't yep, and they might just not work at all. Yeah, yeah, that's a.

Speaker 1: 7:03

Big possibility and that is another part of engineering is that you take a complex thing and you break it down Into solvable problems. Yeah, that's why the you know, the first-over test is super simple. Hmm, and then we'll go right. How do we, how do we now look at? Okay, when it's flying horizontally, can you do that?

Speaker 2: 7:20

and then yeah, that sort of conflict that hopefully, hopefully it will come, but not aggressive. Yeah, well, if it comes aggressive but I think it'll come aggressive but you know, like how, there will be a point of conflict and debate of what? How are we gonna solve this problem. You know that's gonna be an interesting, yeah, an interesting. Well, how, what format is it gonna happen in, and, and how I presume it be Tim gonna manage it, and what methods and tools.

Speaker 1: 7:44

Do you use what?

Speaker 2: 7:45

methods and tools that we're gonna use to make it through. Yeah, just.

Speaker 1: 7:48

I'm getting excited for that conflict now, whether it's conflict.

Speaker 2: 7:51

Yeah, I don't know whether there's a true problem of okay at the moment we're all sort of going towards the same place with him is hover test. But when, when we get the results of the hover test, or the hot test doesn't work, yeah, or whatever, then that's gonna be where the first interesting Dynamic sort of comes it. Yeah, in the real world environment. That's the environment you want.

Speaker 2: 8:12

Yeah, because the more learnings and get shared, the less mistakes and errors that are gonna occur because, hmm, the manufacturing team doesn't build, saying that you guys have not designed, or the electronics team have designed something. They won't fit in what the manufacturing team are making. Yeah, if you've got that collaboration.

Speaker 1: 8:30

Then, once you've worked in a open team environment like this, is really hard to fathom working and and solo teams. Yeah, it's really hard. Why did you?

Speaker 2: 8:41

get into it or do you just get it back by Tim to say you've got to do it Well at the EV12?

Speaker 1: 8:47

Wow, that's a good question. So my own story is that I struggle a lot after you need to get into my field. It literally took me five years to get into the field. Okay, so, and Tim was the only one who sort of looked at my resume whatever you want to call it and then you're like, yeah, we'll give you, give you a go, yeah, give you a go.

Speaker 1: 9:09

Worked there for three years together and then and from the time that I knew him, he's been talking about EV tools, oh, yeah, okay. And then when he said he's going to do the EV tool team and that he needs mentors for that or people to be involved, like you know right now, like, yeah, I'd love to do this. A lot of it is learning experience for me. Yeah, I'm the mentor for the aerostructures team, which is my background, but there's a lot of things that I want to understand, at least get a high level view of how it works. The electrical team, for example, they're talking about software architecture and all that stuff, and I've got no idea about any of that.

Speaker 2: 9:50

Yeah, so this is an opportunity for you to broaden as well.

Speaker 1: 9:53

Yeah, exactly, yeah, so so I'm looking at the Microsoft teams post. They're making these diagrams in there. These are all the things that I keep asking myself and now, all of a sudden, I've got this, this pool of knowledge that people actually know what they're talking about.

Speaker 2: 10:09

Yeah, it should also be able to broaden your experience and at a good enough level that it makes a difference. Yeah, because it's a learning experience for everyone. To be able to teach something at that level means you've really got to understand it yourself and how you sort of synthesize it down to the important things.

Speaker 1: 10:25

Yeah, can't engage in very complicated thinking, so a lot of what I do is I like to boil things down into what I call gut feel. So once I internalize something, it becomes more of a feeling. So you know, if you're talking about how a wing is loaded, alright, if you extend your arm and you push up on it, how does that feel on your shoulder? And that's the same thing that the wing is feeling at the wing root.

Speaker 1: 10:52

So that's where you're going to get your maximum stress get things intuitively and then that's how I'm explaining things also, and that's been a really helpful experience, because I'm forced to try to explain these concepts to the students.

Speaker 2: 11:05

When Tim was talking about the physics of the wing and the structure and whether. Yeah, that's really.

Speaker 1: 11:09

That's super interesting.

Speaker 2: 11:10

That's fairly high on. Yeah, it's advanced. It's top of high school, probably Physics in it.

Speaker 1: 11:18

Yeah well, it's very practical and it's very interesting.

Speaker 2: 11:21

And because you're sort of doing it like I said. You know, alright, bend it here, yep, yeah, okay, how does that feel? Yeah, and because you've also got a model to look at and you're doing the CAD, it all sort of fits together and then it's alright. Yeah, I might not get the formula behind it, but I understand the theory of why that would be. And sometimes it's hard, isn't it? Because, like you say, with the CAD you learn how to do it and you get sort of operationally good, but then do you have to almost relearn it to get the structure in it. Or is it better to have that knowledge and then back fit the formality?

Speaker 1: 11:50

Yeah, that's a good question. What do you reckon?

Speaker 2: 11:52

So it depends on the person. Probably doesn't it, yeah it depends on the person, but I'm not that bothered on formality, so I'd probably prefer to understand it and not have the formalities than have the formalities but not really understand it.

Speaker 1: 12:06

Yeah, yeah, that's a good way to actually it's framing it in terms of formalities versus gut feeling.

Speaker 2: 12:11

Yeah, gut feeling or a true understanding of what makes it yeah and I'm the same.

Speaker 1: 12:16

I'm very much more towards the gut feel of things. And then, yeah, if you need to add the formalities, you add that as another layer, but get that base level gut feel first.

Speaker 2: 12:26

Yeah, you probably have to get to the formalities when you actually fly, because you want to make sure it's not R-squared, it's R-R-R-R-squared.

Speaker 1: 12:31

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 12:33

At a certain speed.

Speaker 1: 12:33

It all blows up but to the formalities is useless without having the gut feel. And sometimes you can be really good at formalities. But then because you know and then, yeah, you miss the obvious and I've seen that happen.

Speaker 2: 12:45

But the formula said yeah, but obviously not good at all.

Speaker 1: 12:49

And you're just focusing on this particular aspect, but then you miss the bigger thing.

Speaker 2: 12:52

Yeah, there's only two. Of us really aren't there with younger.

Speaker 1: 12:55

Yeah, yeah, there's only two of you. But I'm just speaking to a lot of the other students, the high school students, and a lot of them are actually homeschooled. I noticed no, are they.

Speaker 2: 13:03

Yeah, all right, I thought most of them are. So homeschoolers are probably looking for something like this. Yes, because it's sort of like real world, like we've been talking, real world learning, yeah.

Speaker 1: 13:13

And it you get the social aspect also.

Speaker 2: 13:15

Yeah, social aspect. But also, if they're sort of 15, 16 and they really get into it, then you know, potentially javelin or something they could do a week of work experience.

Speaker 1: 13:24

Absolutely.

Speaker 2: 13:25

They're decent kids. They learn.

Speaker 1: 13:27

We know them, yeah, we know how they comport themselves. On the flip side of things for organisations involved, like javelin involved in here.

Speaker 2: 13:36

And potentially they're your next crop of Exactly. Yeah, like, they're probably what? Four years away? Well, some of them will be coming through uni. So, you know, as an advertising career progression, it's good as well. Yeah, like, if they do this for 12 months and you're with them a couple of times a week or a couple of times a fortnight or a month, you get to know them, they get to know you. Yeah, you know, that's sort of, and I'm sort of already training them.

Speaker 1: 13:56

Yeah, yeah, it's like a protracted interview process. Yeah, a real world interview rather than you know. Yeah, like this contrived, oh yeah, well, what are your weaknesses and strengths and all that?

Speaker 2: 14:08

stuff and I think that's what's really good about it, if it can get to that level where there's longevity. But people come in and out and you know, because there's so many different aspects and so many different teams A, they get to try everything but B. There's lots of opportunities within this project and further. Yeah, because you're just networking with people who like similar stuff.

Speaker 1: 14:31

Ewan is so 12 of yours, so is Charlie.

Speaker 2: 14:35

David's son, yeah, 12, 13, something like that 12, 13,.

Speaker 1: 14:38

Yeah, how's it been with adapting within a group consistent of a lot of older people? So you've got a high school students, uni students, and then you have the mentors, and then you have the industry experts. He would be the youngest out of that group. What's that experience been like for him? What do I think you?

Speaker 2: 14:56

should ask him, and he's got specific things that we're doing, like model, this or do that, or look at the printer or do stuff. So he hasn't really got into the whole team environment yet. Yep, it is a lot to take in also for.

Speaker 2: 15:12

Yeah, like he's probably more, just stands back and looks and watches, and which is great, and if he just sits there and watches and doesn't actually do much, then that's almost a win, just to see how other people are interacting. But at the moment he seems to be getting involved. And you're trying to get kids ready for workplaces, aren't you? Effectively or for the rest of their life, so they need to work out how to operate in an environment of a mix of people. Yeah, when you walk into the workplace, you're probably going to be the youngest as well, so you're the youngest here, that's all right, and at some point you get to the middle and then the oldest.

Speaker 1: 15:45

Yeah, you do, yeah, and then you turn around and you start mentoring people.

Speaker 2: 15:49

Passing on and passing it back. Yeah, it's a no, and so far all the mentors have been really good and really open and haven't been. Or you're a bit young for that or we're not going to show you that it's like well you're here, you're doing it, I'll show you how to do it.

Speaker 1: 16:03

Yeah, that's true. I think we all come from an environment where continuous learning is the center of everything.

Speaker 2: 16:13

Yeah, nobody's being clicky, or don't do this or don't go there or don't look at that, but it's always that balance between talking too much and not getting anything done and not talking enough and double doing everything. Yeah, you need to have enough structure behind everything to actually be moving in the direction together.

Speaker 1: 16:31

But then have enough flexibility to keep learning. A main takeaway from your involvement. Main takeaway that's the main sake of the episode, by the way, so of the whole podcast.

Speaker 2: 16:49

So I have to finish, I have to finish with that Pressure Take away. It doesn't have to be anything.

Speaker 2: 16:56

No, I think the main takeaway, or main, is just the collaboration between the teams. The individual teams can be successful, but then you have to come up to an overall successful project and work together, and it's that teamwork and collaboration between the teams that will make it successful. You can have a couple of bright stars, but if the rest of the team aren't going in the same direction, it doesn't work. You better have an average team that works well together than have a couple of Ronaldo's that don't pass the ball to anybody.

Speaker 1: 17:24

Such great saying Best match.