This company is not for everyone. This document is designed to talk most people out of applying. What we're building at Sorian Aerospace isn't for the faint of heart. We're not chasing vertical-takeoff gimmicks or electric air taxis. We're not shipping MVPs or building PowerPoint startups. We're here to reclaim America's rightful place as the leader in aviation—and that takes a different kind of team. Working at Sorian means:

Extreme ownership
Deep, hands-on technical skill
A bias toward action
And a willingness to be dropped into the deep end, fast

We value velocity, not optics.
Hard problems you solved before, not your credentials.
Execution, not hierarchy. Our operating tenets are simple:
Fly it higher. Fly it faster. Fly it hotter. Find the limit. Break it. Fix it. Try again. We don't over-analyze. We don't spin in meetings.
We put designs into the real world—and learn by building. We're engineers. We're pilots. We've seen the decay of the aviation industry firsthand—and we're not here to complain.
We're here to fix it. To bring American aerospace roaring back.
We want to see this change in the world—so we're building it ourselves. That’s why we work long hours. We make sacrifices.
We trade comfort for speed and excellence. We’re not just dreaming of the future—we’re building it. If that lights a fuse in you, read on. If not—close the tab. No hard feelings.

Why? The Current State

America was once the pioneer of aeronautics manufacturing, the birthplace of legendary corporations and airliners.
The nation that gave the world the Boeing 747, the SR-71 Blackbird, the F-117 Nighthawk, and the ubiquitous Cessna 172. We were the leaders—setting the standards, breaking the records, and turning dreams into reality. We soared higher and faster than anyone else. We didn't just lead the aviation industry - We defined it. But those days are gone. France's Airbus is leading the commercial aviation sector with over 60% market share.
China has surged ahead, leading in 37 out of 44 critical technologies, including hypersonics and advanced aircraft engines. In our military aviation, only half of the supposedly cutting-edge F-35 fighters are mission-capable, as revealed in recent congressional testimony. Today, American aircraft manufacturers no longer build planes. They've become mere assemblers—outsourcing everything and losing control over quality and innovation. The consequences have been severe: doors falling off mid-flight, engines catching fire—the symptoms of a crumbling system. Speaking of Boeing: the last bastion of American commercial aviation greatness is failing.
The old adage, "If It's Not Boeing, I'm Not Going," has tragically morphed into "If It's Boeing, I'm Not Going." The result? Planes in both commercial and general aviation are now prohibitively expensive to purchase, absurdly costly to own and maintain, and less capable than before. Since the retirement of the 747, the Concorde, and the A380, planes have become slower and less capable. Technologically speaking, the entire aviation industry isn't just stagnating—
It's moving backward. Our once-mighty aeronautics industry is now a shadow of its former self.

The Mission

Our mission is to change that. We need to get U.S. aeronautics to lead the sky again. We need to build planes the same way SpaceX builds rockets—raw materials come in from one end of the factory, and new planes come out the other. Vertical integration in mind from day one. We envision Sorian as a multi-product company, building a family of next-gen planes across categories—planes that are affordable to own, fly, and maintain. How?
We start by building next-gen training jets that fly in special-use airspace under the experimental category. This allows us to gradually bite into technical, regulatory, and financial risks—with minimal FAA red tape.

How We Work

We do what's required

If it means long hours—we work long hours.
Deadline? We work nights and weekends if necessary.

Extreme Ownership

You see a problem? You solve it. No excuses. No deferral to management.

End-to-End Involvement

You don't get siloed. You build it. You test it. You break it. You fix it.
You're in the loop from concept to launch.

You Are the Factory

There's no "throw it over the wall."
If something's missing—build it.
If it's broken—fix it.
If it doesn't exist—invent it.

Build > Talk

We prototype. We test.
We don't sit in meetings talking theory.
If you're building PowerPoints, you're already behind.

Speed Is Everything

We measure ourselves against what's physically possible—not what's comfortable.
We often ask:

“What’s the theoretical absolute minimum required to accomplish that?”

That becomes the benchmark to optimize for.

What We Don't Care About

We don't care about where you went to school or your past work experience.
Bent the metal? Consider applying.
We don't care about your resume formatting.
We don't care about your job title at Lockheed or your MBA.

We care what you've built.

Built a scramjet in your garage? Please apply.
Rebuilt a hot rod from surplus parts? We want to talk.
Designed and prototyped flight hardware but don't have a formal degree? Consider applying.
Solved a super challenging problem before? Tell us.

This Job Is Not for You If:

You expect neatly defined roles and structured onboarding
You clock out at 5 and mentally disappear
You're allergic to direct feedback
You're here for a "job." We're here for a mission

This Job Is for You If:

You love flying
You're unreasonably driven
You fix problems instead of waiting for someone else
You love building, not bureaucracy
You want to fly the aircraft you helped design
You believe America can—and should—lead in the skies again

(Oh, and we pay 100% of your PPL flight training tuition.) P.S. If you’re still reading, you’re already in rare company. Most people won’t make it that far—and that’s exactly the point. P.P.S. Here's a sneak peek at what we're building

Before You Apply