TL;DR

Aviation’s biggest challenge isn’t new tech — it’s fixing the trust gaps underneath it.

I sat down with Mark Roboff, co-founder of SkyThread, to talk about what really breaks traceability and how a neutral data layer could finally change that for good.

One honest conversation — worth your time.

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In aviation, we’re flooded with buzzwords: AI, blockchain, predictive maintenance, digital twins. They’re real — but they don’t fix what keeps breaking deals and eroding trust behind the scenes.

In my latest Skybound Ops episode 6, I sat down with Mark Roboff, co-founder and Chief Vision Officer of SkyThread — a company tackling this head-on.

Mark’s no stranger to big systems. He’s helped drive transformative work at IBM, SparkCognition, and SAE International — and he knows exactly how promising tech fails when the trust foundation isn’t there. That’s why he co-founded SkyThread: a neutral, permissioned data-sharing network built of the industry, but not in the industry.

What does that mean?
✔️ Parts traceability that can’t be faked
✔️ No more missing certs buried in file cabinets
✔️ Every player keeps ownership — no more middlemen hoarding your data

Mark brought a rare honesty to this conversation: what’s broken, what’s working, and why his stoic optimism keeps him moving forward when most would give up.

One line stuck with me:

If you care about how aviation actually gets better — not just on paper, but in practice — this episode’s worth your time.

🎙️ Listen here: Slybound Ops - Episode 6

Let’s build it better — for real.

— Ralph

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Until Next Time!

Aviation doesn’t fail because we lack tech — it fails when we ignore the trust gaps underneath. Mark Roboff and SkyThread are building a neutral data backbone to fix that, one part trace at a time. If you care about doing it right — not just talking about it — this episode is worth it.