# Riley Knox: Leviathan Air, Flying Cargo Ships, and Altering Global Trade | Hard Tech Podcast #21

- Show: [Hard Tech Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast)
- Published: 2024-07-21
- Length: 2h 31m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-07-21-riley-knox-leviathan-air-flying-cargo-ships-and-altering-global-trade-hard-tech
- Listen: https://rss.com/podcasts/hardtechpodcast/1572212

## Summary

Riley Knox, CEO and co-founder of Leviathan Air, explains the design and business case for autonomous flying cargo ships that utilize ground effect to bridge the gap between slow ocean freight and expensive air freight. He details how modern advancements in hybrid-electric propulsion, autonomous flight controls, and composite materials make the concept viable today, contrasting it with the Soviet-era Caspian Sea Monster. Knox outlines a strategy to build and operate these vehicles to serve high-value e-commerce and defense logistics, targeting a first flight within six to seven years.

## Chapters

- [0:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-07-21-riley-knox-leviathan-air-flying-cargo-ships-and-altering-global-trade-hard-tech#t=3) Introduction: Riley Knox and Leviathan Air
- [1:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-07-21-riley-knox-leviathan-air-flying-cargo-ships-and-altering-global-trade-hard-tech#t=100) The Name and Inspiration: Caspian Sea Monster
- [4:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-07-21-riley-knox-leviathan-air-flying-cargo-ships-and-altering-global-trade-hard-tech#t=273) The Market Gap: Speed vs. Cost in Freight
- [9:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-07-21-riley-knox-leviathan-air-flying-cargo-ships-and-altering-global-trade-hard-tech#t=586) Mission: Decarbonizing International Air Freight
- [11:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-07-21-riley-knox-leviathan-air-flying-cargo-ships-and-altering-global-trade-hard-tech#t=693) Founding History and Core Team Assembly
- [21:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-07-21-riley-knox-leviathan-air-flying-cargo-ships-and-altering-global-trade-hard-tech#t=1311) Leviathan Design: Aerodynamics and Propulsion
- [34:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-07-21-riley-knox-leviathan-air-flying-cargo-ships-and-altering-global-trade-hard-tech#t=2078) Ground Effect Physics and Lift-to-Drag Ratio
- [45:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-07-21-riley-knox-leviathan-air-flying-cargo-ships-and-altering-global-trade-hard-tech#t=2712) Operational Challenges: Weather, Wildlife, and Spotting
- [53:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-07-21-riley-knox-leviathan-air-flying-cargo-ships-and-altering-global-trade-hard-tech#t=3212) Business Model: Build, Own, and Operate
- [1:04:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-07-21-riley-knox-leviathan-air-flying-cargo-ships-and-altering-global-trade-hard-tech#t=3847) Autonomous Operations and Certification Strategy
- [1:15:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-07-21-riley-knox-leviathan-air-flying-cargo-ships-and-altering-global-trade-hard-tech#t=4552) Maintenance: Modular Power Units and Internal Robots
- [1:23:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-07-21-riley-knox-leviathan-air-flying-cargo-ships-and-altering-global-trade-hard-tech#t=4995) Economics: Targeting High-Value E-commerce
- [1:36:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-07-21-riley-knox-leviathan-air-flying-cargo-ships-and-altering-global-trade-hard-tech#t=5815) Global Trade Impact and Supply Chain Agility
- [1:58:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-07-21-riley-knox-leviathan-air-flying-cargo-ships-and-altering-global-trade-hard-tech#t=7099) Military Applications and DARPA Liberty Lifter
- [2:16:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-07-21-riley-knox-leviathan-air-flying-cargo-ships-and-altering-global-trade-hard-tech#t=8175) Roadmap: Prototyping and Fundraising

## Topics

- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Leviathan Air (company)
- Caspian Sea Monster (product)
- Radii up (company)
- Sail Drone (company)
- DARPA (company)
- Boeing (company)
- Tesla (company)
- GM (company)
- Starlink (product)
- Candela (company)
- Navia (company)
- Valo (company)
- Pelican (product)
- Liberty Lifter (product)
- Aurora (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Electrifying aviation with Kyle Clark of BETA Technologies](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-08-24-electrifying-aviation-with-kyle-clark-of-beta-technologies) (How I Built This)
- [Reinventing Sea Travel with Billy Thalheimer of REGENT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2023-01-05-reinventing-sea-travel-with-billy-thalheimer-of-regent) (Over the Air)
- [Rethinking Contested Logistics with Austin Gray, Co-Founder of Blue Water Autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tough-tech-vets/2025-01-06-rethinking-contested-logistics-with-austin-gray-co-founder-of-blue-water-autonom) (Tough Tech Vets)
- [Delivering the future in drones with Keller Rinaudo Cliffton of Zipline](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-07-13-delivering-the-future-in-drones-with-keller-rinaudo-cliffton-of-zipline) (How I Built This)
- [HIBT Lab! Boom Supersonic: Blake Scholl](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-02-23-hibt-lab-boom-supersonic-blake-scholl) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2024-07-21-riley-knox-leviathan-air-flying-cargo-ships-and-altering-global-trade-hard-tech. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Hard Tech Podcast.