Welcome to Episode 53 of the #PaxEx podcast. Our guest for this episode is well-known aviation geek Isaac Alexander, a freelance aviation writer who blogs as and at Jet City Star. Isaac also is on the committee for the weekend long Aviation Geek Fest held annually in the Greater Seattle area.

Firstly, Mitsubishi Aircraft has told Flightglobal that two additional aircraft will join its MRJ regional jet’s flight test campaign. Isaac has been following the MRJ program closely. He catches us up on the latest developments, explains why it’s a “tough road” for Mitsubishi right now, mulls why the firm hasn’t taken the opportunity to do a cabin interior reboot, and explains why Japan is on an internal time clock to complete the test program.

Next, aerospace accelerator startups are growing quickly and hosting a variety of meet and greets for people interested in learning more. Isaac recently attended an accelerator roadshow event sponsored by AeroInnovate in Wisconsin. He reports on his experience, explains how some of the accelerators are being funded, and details some of the notable players in the market.

Last but not least, a number of #PaxEx conferences and exhibitions will be held around the world in 2018, starting in January with CES in Las Vegas, where IFEC heavyweight Panasonic will have a strong presence. Mary tells us what #PaxEx trends she’s keeping an eye on at these shows, and where RGN will have a presence.

Photo at top: Mitsubishi Aircraft