Electra Aero: Dr. Alejandra Uranga, Tom Clancy Appointed to Key Leadership Positions
Electra Aero announced this week two important appointments for the company, reports a press release. Dr Alejandra Uranga as Chief Engineer, Research and Future Concepts, while Tom Clancy becomes an Electra Board Member.
They join the team as Electra expands flight testing of its EL‑2 Goldfinch hybrid-electric ultra-short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) technology demonstrator aircraft. Trials which began last month.
Dr Uranga is an expert in aerodynamics, novel aircraft design and integrated propulsion systems for sustainable aviation. She will oversee the design of the high-lift system and subsequent wind tunnel testing program for the Electra eSTOL aircraft, as well as lead the development of future concepts that exploit propulsion and aero integration to improve the efficiency of the aircraft.
The Doctor joins Electra from the University of Southern California (USC) Viterbi School of Engineering, where she led the Aerodynamic Research and Design Laboratory at the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.
Previously, as a Postdoctoral Associate and Research Engineer in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), she was Technology Lead in the NASA N+3 program that developed and tested the D8 Double-Bubble aircraft. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Florida Tech, a Master of Applied Sciences in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Victoria, BC, Canada, and a PhD degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT.
Tom Clancy brings with him nearly four decades of experience in unique and high-performance aircraft development, where he will provide strategic guidance and industry expertise to support the company’s overall strategy, business development, and long-term goals. In his recent role as CTO at Aurora Flight Sciences, he defined the technology strategy and guided the investment, development and transition of aircraft systems into test and operations.
Earlier at Aurora, Clancy served as the VP of Development Programs and previously served as the VP of both Engineering and Aurora’s NASA ERAST projects He was also Manager and Chief Engineer for the Perseus high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) development programs, and served as Chief Engineer and Flight Director on multiple UAV projects. Clancy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT and is a senior member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
John S. Langford, Electra Founder and CEO, commented, “Alejandra and Tom bring recognised expertise to Electra at an exciting time in the development of our eSTOL aircraft. Both are highly respected in their fields.”
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(Top image: Dr Alejandra Uranga, Tom Clancy)
