'Die Twice': The Song Launching an Aviation Expert's Final Mission

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – November 25, 2025 – In the world of branding and marketing, authenticity is the most coveted, yet elusive, currency. Campaigns are meticulously crafted to resonate with human emotion, but they often originate in a boardroom. Today, however, marks the launch of a campaign born not in a boardroom, but from a terminal diagnosis. Derk-Jan van Heerden, a 45-year-old titan of the aircraft recycling industry, has released a song. Titled 'Die Twice', it is a haunting and deeply personal reflection on his mortality. But it is also something more: a masterfully strategic and unconventional launch vehicle for his professional legacy, the Aethos foundation.

Released under the artist name One Flight, the song is a poignant metaphor, blending the finality of a last flight with a personal farewell. It’s an artifact of a life lived and a life ending, a project van Heerden wasn't sure he would live to complete. Yet, its true genius lies in how it transforms a personal tragedy into a powerful call to action, aiming a spotlight on a complex, unglamorous, and critically important industry problem.

The Final Flight as a First Note

In 2023, Derk-Jan van Heerden was diagnosed with stage 4 Glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable brain cancer. With an average life expectancy of just 15 months, the diagnosis was a stark end-of-life notice. Confronted with this reality, van Heerden, a man who built his career managing the end-of-life for jumbo jets, had to plan his own.

"I decided to have as much fun as possible," van Heerden states in his announcement, reflecting a choice to embrace life rather than retreat. This period included creating the song with his friend, fellow aviation professional Paul Crezee. Van Heerden has outlived the grim average, joining the 20% of Glioblastoma patients who survive beyond two years. This resilience afforded him the time to see the project through, resulting in 'Die Twice'.

The song's title is a powerful piece of branding in itself. It speaks to the man facing his own end, but it also speaks to the aircraft he has dedicated his life to—machines that also face an 'end-of-life' and whose materials risk a second death in a landfill if not properly recycled. The music, available on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube, is the emotional hook, drawing listeners into a story of human fragility and purpose. It’s a content strategy that transcends the typical white papers and industry keynotes of the B2B world, creating a universal entry point into a highly specialized topic.

A Legacy Forged in Aluminum and Carbon Fiber

To understand the significance of this musical last act, one must understand the first acts of van Heerden's career. He is not a musician who happens to know about planes; he is a foundational figure in the sustainable aviation sector. His journey began at the prestigious Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), where his 2005 Master's thesis on aircraft recycling became the blueprint for his company, AELS (Aircraft End-of-Life Solutions), founded a year later.

AELS wasn't just a business; it was a pioneering effort to professionalize a fragmented industry. The company created a comprehensive service for dismantling retired aircraft, managing the complex supply chain of harvesting valuable components for reuse and recycling the remaining materials. Under his leadership, AELS became a trusted partner for global carriers like KLM and Lufthansa.

Van Heerden's influence extended beyond his own company. From 2015 to 2019, he served as President of the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA), the key international body setting best practices for the industry. His leadership was so impactful that in June 2024, well after his diagnosis, AFRA honored him with its Visionary Award for his “unwavering commitment to industry standards and environmental stewardship.” This is the man behind the music: an engineer, an entrepreneur, and an industry-shaping leader whose life's work has been to ensure that when a plane's flying days are over, its story doesn't end in a scrap heap.

The Unprofitable Problem: Why Aviation's Circular Economy is Grounded

The song is the messenger, but the message is about Aethos, the non-profit foundation van Heerden established as his parting gift to the industry. Aethos exists to solve the problem that the commercial market won't: the high-quality, sustainable recycling of complex aircraft materials.

While the market for used aircraft parts—engines, landing gear, avionics—is thriving, the economics of recycling the airframe itself are far more challenging. The global aircraft recycling market, valued at over $5 billion, is growing rapidly as older, fuel-guzzling fleets are retired. Yet, this growth masks a critical sustainability gap. Modern aircraft are increasingly built from composite materials, which are light and strong but notoriously difficult and expensive to recycle. Older planes contain hazardous substances requiring careful disposal. As van Heerden himself noted, achieving high-quality material recycling is not yet profitable, meaning market forces alone are insufficient to drive innovation.

This is the gap Aethos is designed to fill. The foundation's mission is to act as a catalyst, funding research and connecting academics with industry players to develop viable methods for a true circular economy in aviation—one where the aluminum and carbon fiber from a retired plane can be used to build a new one. It aims to solve the unprofitable problem, raising the bar for the entire sector through collaboration and shared knowledge, a mission that requires awareness and funding far beyond the confines of the aviation industry.

Aethos and the Art of the Legacy Campaign

This is where 'Die Twice' transcends from a personal project to a brilliant piece of strategic communication. Van Heerden is using his own mortality as the ultimate case for support. By launching a song, he is sidestepping the staid, technical language of his industry and making a direct, emotional appeal to a global audience. He is, in essence, hacking the attention economy.

"It would be awesome if it goes on to generate publicity for Aethos, and raises awareness about the need for proper recycling of aircraft materials," he says. This is not just a hope; it is a calculated objective. The story is irresistible: a dying expert uses his final months to create art that encapsulates his life's work. It guarantees media attention that a standard non-profit launch could never achieve. For business leaders and marketers, this is a profound lesson in purpose-driven branding.

The Aethos launch demonstrates that the most powerful brand stories are not invented; they are lived. By tethering the abstract, industrial challenge of material recycling to a deeply human story of love, loss, and legacy, van Heerden has created a campaign with unparalleled authenticity and emotional resonance. He has ensured that even as his own flight comes to an end, his final mission is just beginning to take off.