Max had a very radically different idea to all the other warp space pursuits, for one it was too damn difficult, space was hard. You had to get up there for starters, very expensive, very little public appetite for it. Your clientele were rich f**kers with snoobish noses making it a niche market, frankly there wasn't anybody who'd made much success of it. The whole industry moved like a snail, there weren't people venturing out side of their well established groves.
He didn't know anything about spaceships, but aeroplanes was something he did well. He watched video's of physics professor's, one in particuliar who was onto something. But Max felt their overall goal was like trying to fire stone's across the atlantic with sling shots.

No, he had a different and radical idea, using already well known and established aviation technology. To him it made sense, why were they trying to get the damn thing in space? Current warp theory stuff was better known thanks to social media, Youtube and else where. But a theoretical idea anything was never going anywhere unless it was an iphone, something people could feel and touch, and save money on. There was real appetite for that. His idea would save money, which mean't make money.

Max was going to find a way to put a scaled down warp drive in one of his planes. He was going to distort the space around it to reduce time in aviation flight and fuel consumption. In his mind his idea put a first step in front of what was otherwise a very high wall. If time was reduced distorting space, it might have taken less energy and less time to eventually leave Earth's atmosphere, second step. Perhaps you use that to get to the Moon quicker eventually, third step, and so on. Applicable now was the new in, something investors could grasp, and wet their appetite for. He set about his plan.
But there was unknown and possibly dangerous variable to Max's idea. He couldn't forsee what effect a warp space distortion field would have in close proximity to the Earth's surface.