Maciej Stachura

Maciej Stachura is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Black Swift Technologies, a position he has held since 2013.1 He is an accomplished aerospace engineer with extensive experience in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and atmospheric research.

Education and Early Career

Stachura's educational background includes:

• B.Sc. in Engineering Science Aerospace from the University of Toronto (completed in 2006)1
• Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado (completed in 2013)12

During his time at the University of Colorado, Stachura was heavily involved in UAS research and operations:

• Participated in over 300 flight experiments2
• Worked on multi-aircraft cooperative flight experiments2
• Took part in the VORTEX2 field campaign, which included the first-ever intercept of a tornadic supercell thunderstorm2

Professional Experience

Black Swift Technologies:: As CTO, Stachura has been instrumental in developing advanced UAS technologies:

• Co-founded the company with CEO Dr. Jack Elston3
• Led projects including a NASA SBIR for soil moisture mapping UAS2
• Contributed to the development of SwiftCore™ Flight Management System2

Previous Roles::

• Controls Engineer at Forge Aerospace (2010-2013)1
• Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Colorado (2006-2010)1
• Controls Engineer at MDA Space Missions (2004-2006)1
  • Worked on orbital rendezvous design for a Mars sample return mission
  • Developed control algorithms for Canadarm 2 on the International Space Station

Expertise and Contributions

Stachura's expertise includes:

• Unmanned aircraft systems development and operation
• Atmospheric research and data collection
• Flight management systems
• Control systems for aerospace applications

He has also been responsible for securing and maintaining over 140 FAA Certificates of Authorization (COA) for legal flight operations across Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska.2

Maciej Stachura's work at Black Swift Technologies focuses on developing reliable and accurate UAS for scientific research in challenging atmospheric environments, contributing to advancements in wildland fire monitoring, volcano research, and severe weather studies.2