Former Acting FAA Administrator Dan Elwell Joins Autonomous Flight Leader Merlin Labs' Advisory Board

Elwell joins Merlin Labs after a storied career in government, military, and private sector

BOSTON, July 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Merlin Labs, the leading developer of autonomous flight technology for fixed-wing aircraft, announced today that Dan Elwell, former Acting FAA administrator, industry advocate, and pilot, has joined the company's advisory board. He will advise the company on policy and strategy as it engages with regulators in shaping the future of autonomous flight.

"Throughout my career, I've been an advocate for common-sense implementations of new technologies in the aerospace industry, with a particular focus on safety and efficiency," said Elwell. "What Merlin Labs has been building these last few years, with its numerous applications across civilian and government aviation, has been tremendously interesting to observe, and I'm excited to help shepherd it to commercial and governmental adoption under Merlin's 'crawl-walk-run' approach."

Elwell has extensive experience in governmental administration: he served as Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration from June 2017 to November 2020, including an appointment as Acting FAA Administrator from January 2018 to August 2019. Prior to that appointment, Elwell served as a Senior Advisor on Aviation to the Secretary of the Department of Transportation. He had previously served at the FAA as the Assistant Administrator for Policy, Planning, and Environment from 2006–2008.

Lieutenant Colonel Elwell retired from military service as a Command Pilot with more than 6,000 hours combined civilian and military flight time in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Air Force Reserve, including combat service during Operation Desert Storm.

In the private sector, Elwell held the position of Senior Vice President for Safety, Security, and Operations at Airlines for America (A4A), where he was responsible for leading the advancement of commercial aviation safety and security excellence for major U.S. air carriers. Prior to that, Mr. Elwell was Vice President of the Aerospace Industries Association. In this role, he represented civil aerospace manufacturers and led policy development and advocacy for the civil aerospace manufacturing industry.

Elwell was a commercial pilot for 16 years with American Airlines, flying numerous airframes, during which time he also served as Managing Director for International and Government Affairs at American Airlines.

Elwell is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, where he earned a degree in International Affairs. He earned his pilot wings at Williams Air Force Base.

Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Boston, with additional offices in Los Angeles, Denver, Mojave, and Auckland, NZ,  Merlin Labs is building the definitive autonomy system for all things that fly. To learn more, visit www.merlinlabs.com or follow us on Twitter @merlinaero.

SOURCE Merlin Labs

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED