I’ve been looking forward to sending this one.
I’ve been looking forward to sending this one.
This latest Skybound Ops episode features a conversation with Kelly Carlson, founder of Extrinsic Aviation — and it’s special because of how her story unfolds. She didn’t come up through the cockpit or the hangar. She came up through accounting, operations, logistics, and ERP systems — the places where mistakes don’t get headlines, but they absolutely get paid for.
That background is exactly what led her to build Extrinsic Aviation. As Kelly said during the conversation,
“There has to be an easier way — and if you step outside the box long enough, you usually find it.”
In this episode, we talk about how value gets trapped in aviation not through neglect, but through fragmentation. Why good data still leads to bad outcomes. And why sustainability only works when it’s designed for execution instead of intention. One moment that really stuck with me was when she asked,
“How do we take inventory that’s collecting dust and turn it into revenue?”
There were moments where we both paused — not because the answer was unclear, but because the problem finally was. Those are my favorite conversations. The ones that feel honest, practical, and earned.
If you care about aviation systems, real-world decision making, and progress that actually sticks, I think you’ll enjoy this one.
You can listen and subscribe to the episode here. I’m excited to hear what you think.
– Ralph
