Carl-Oscar Lawaczeck has that deep, honest look of visionaries who believe that dreams can come true and the ability to easily convince you of his. This pilot's dream, who has been transporting passengers above the clouds at 900 kilometers per hour for more than 18 years, is to drop in altitude and speed and to pioneer a new era of sustainable aviation starring large airships, through his OceanSky project.
Who is Carl-Oscar Lawaczeck?
I am a person who embraces change. I am always trying to improve my surroundings. I am concerned about the way we use our natural resources. I love nature and it saddens me to see what we are doing to our planet and I believe it is something that needs to be changed.
Do you remember your first airplane ride?
My parents have always been linked to the world of aviation. My father from the management side in cargo aviation companies and my mother as a SAS stewardess during the golden age of airlines. I have been flying practically since I was born. For me, as a child, going to the airport was synonymous with adventure.
What does flying mean to you?
For me, more than being at 10,000 meters above sea level, flying is looking out the window and seeing what's below. The first time I had that feeling of "flying low" was in an airplane with a friend when I was 19 years old.
Why did you become a pilot?
I studied economics and logistics, which is very useful to me when it comes to having a good foundation for business and project management. Then, I was very lucky to enroll and get admitted to the only public pilot school in Sweden and that's how I became a pilot.
What has been your best experience as a pilot?
The best thing about piloting for me, without a doubt, is the takeoff and landing because it allows you to see what's down on the ground. They are moments of great concentration where there is no margin for error, although I have never had the feeling that what I do is dangerous.
The best experience I remember was when I was studying to be a pilot and with some friends we rented some planes and went to the north of Sweden to experience low flying, flying in fog. It was great fun!
And one to forget?
I remember one occasion when lightning struck the fuselage of the plane and the sound was really shocking. On another flight an engine stopped working but, fortunately, the planes are prepared for this type of contingency without posing a danger to the passengers.
Carl-Oscar Lawackzeck says it was life that led him to become a pilot without almost intending it.
Brought up in a family environment where aviation was already part of his parents' lives, it was only natural for him to enroll and be admitted to Sweden's only public pilot school.
Since then, 18 years and a total of 6,000 flight hours have passed.
What does Carl-Oscar do when he's not flying?
I love to be in contact with nature. I have a boat and usually spend a lot of my free time on it, sailing on the lakes near Stockholm, with my family and my 8-month-old daughter. Having contact with the water and the sea is my way of relaxing.
After 18 years as a commercial pilot. How do you see yourself in the next 18 years?
I've never wanted to stop flying but, in the future, I see myself developing a new era of aviation, much more sustainable than the current one.
Do you consider yourself a visionary or a dreamer? What is the difference for you?
I am not a dreamer. For me, a dreamer dreams but doesn't get to make his dreams come true. A visionary, on the other hand, is someone who executes those dreams, ideas or projects he has visualized. I dreamed of owning a boat, I bought it, and now I am refurbishing it little by little. Perseverance is essential for dreams to come true.
Who inspires you?
Elon Musk, without a doubt. I think he is a visionary who is doing things to change our present and our future based on values. He has been able to generate a big change in the sustainability sector, quickly and consistently.
How did the OceanSky project begin to take shape?
In the 1990s I became interested in LTA (Lighter Than Air) technology, which allows large aircraft to be moved from one point to another by gas. It seemed to me already at that time that it was something that could be very innovative for the aviation industry. It allows you to move goods or passengers from one place to another without needing large infrastructures like airports.
In 2010, this interest was joined by a new one for sustainability and the need to look for alternatives to fossil fuels, something that LTA technology allows. This is how the OceanSky project began, with which we want to develop a new era of sustainable aviation through airships.
What are the main advantages of a blimp over an airplane?
For passengers, space and comfort are two of the main advantages. You fly at low altitude so the flight itself is already an experience. The speed is five times lower than that of an airplane and allows you to travel from point to point without the need for airports to land or take off.
For example, if you want to travel from Madrid to Stockholm because you have a meeting in the morning, you will have to get up at least at 5 a.m. to get to the airport in time, board and arrive at your destination at 11 a.m., tired and without having slept almost the night before.
In an airship, you would board in Madrid at dusk, have dinner and sleep on board, wake up, have a good shower and arrive rested to your meeting.
And in terms of carbon footprint?
A blimp can make the same journey as an airplane while expending 80% less energy. The blimp is powered by helium gas, the engines are much smaller than those of an airplane and much less powerful, with less horsepower.
Would airships then be a good alternative to electric aviation?
When we talk about electric aviation, I think there are still 25 to 30 years to develop batteries that are light and powerful enough to power the motors that an airplane needs to fly. On the other hand, airships are already there and I believe they can be the aircraft that will lead the new era of aviation for the next 50 years.
Are airships safe?
The accidents we all remember from the great airships of the 1920s were mainly due to the fact that their structure, despite being gigantic, was very fragile. Today, the airships of the 21st century are made of much more resistant materials and propelled by helium, a gas that is not flammable, unlike the hydrogen that was used at the time.
If we look back to the 1920s, we are talking about a time when the great ocean liners were sinking, trains were often involved in accidents, cars were unsafe. In general safety standards in the transportation industry were very poorly developed, unlike now.
The first flight is scheduled to fly over and land at the geographic North Pole in 2030, a feat that not even Amundsen managed to accomplish a century ago aboard the airship Norge. How do you think that group of pioneers will feel on that first flight?
We need to transform aviation and, with this maiden voyage, we are going to show the world that it is possible to do so and, from there, work for this new industry to develop and grow with new routes and destinations. It's going to be an epic journey.
Do you see the birth of blimp airlines in the future?
Absolutely. If the world is conscientious about moving away from fossil fuels, this is the answer.
And do you see airships as the most luxurious form of travel in the future?
For sure! It is the way we have started at OceanSky. We offer the market a technology that utilizes a level of comfort that has never been seen before in an airborne mode of transportation. Being able to travel from point to point, to remote locations, without the need for airports, enjoying the flight and the scenery with total immersion in the environment, surrounded by silence and calm.
Would you like to fly blimps instead of airplanes in the future?
Sure! I'm already preparing myself to get the license to fly blimps.
A trip you would repeat...
The best trips are the ones you take surrounded by people you love and who make any experience great. For me, the perfect trip consists of being at sea, with the sun shining, the warm water, a good meal... Sailing and visiting the fishing villages off the coast of Sweden or Croatia are among my favorite getaways.
Something you haven't flown in yet and would like to...
Although I've flown in them, I've never flown a helicopter and have yet to fly in a glider.
A hobby...
Sailing and being at sea.
Your life changed on the day when...
My daughter Edith was born.
Are you a day person or a night person...
Nocturnal, no doubt.
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