Lectures on Tap - Why Planes Don’t Fall: Pilot Explains Turbulence & More

Welcome to Lectures on Tap

Join us for an engaging evening where professors, experts, and storytellers bring their thought-provoking lectures to your favorite bar in Downtown Berkeley!

Hosted by the Lectures on Tap team.

📍 Location: Exact address found in the confirmation email

📚 Lecture: “Pilot Explains: Turbulence, Bangs & Why Planes Don’t Fall”

🎤 Speaker: Vaibhav "Billy" Kumar

Recent aviation incidents have left many travelers feeling more anxious than ever—but is this anxiety justified? Ever been startled by a loud engine bang, intense turbulence, or a firm landing? While these moments might seem like disasters waiting to happen, they’re actually proof of extraordinary safety engineering at work.

Join Vaibhav "Billy" Kumar, a Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) engineer at Joby Aviation, as we dissect real-life flight scenarios. In this enlightening talk, Billy will reveal how hidden redundancies and automated controls transform aviation's most alarming events into routine non-events, leaving you reassured and fascinated.

With over six years of experience in flight dynamics, control systems, and high-fidelity simulations, Vaibhav has garnered numerous industry accolades, including Aviation Week’s Twenty 20s Award and honors from AIAA. A pilot himself, he is passionate about making complex aviation technology accessible and engaging.

Don’t miss this opportunity to see air travel in a whole new light with Vaibhav "Billy" Kumar!

Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌

Agenda

6:30 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key.

6:55 PM – Host introduction

7:00 PM – Lecture begins

7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

8:00 PM – Have 1:1 time with the speaker, mingle with fellow guests, and order another round

8:30 PM – Wrap up.