Jack Elston
Member 2018 - 2026

Founder and CEO
Black Swift Technologies LLC

Jack received two MS degrees and his PhD from the University of Colorado Boulder, and continues to work in the Boulder area as CEO and co-founder of Black Swift Technologies, recognized for delivering reliable, robust, and highly accurate Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) capable of flying scientific payloads in demanding atmospheric environments (high-altitude, corrosive particulates, and strong turbulence).

Black Swift's purpose-built scientific aerial platforms are used around the globe and have been employed for use in arctic monitoring, characterizing severe convective storms, tracking volcanic plumes and observing wildfires.  Dr. Elston additionally serves as the technical lead on all avionics work including the creation of the highly capable autopilot system that anchors the SwiftCore Flight Management System, and is the principal investigator in charge of the development of an aircraft designed to explore the upper atmosphere of Venus.

He has been directly involved the development of many different unmanned aircraft systems, has participated in the authorship of over 100 COA applications, and has conducted hundreds of flight experiments in severe environments. He is currently serving as Vice President of UAS Colorado, a professional group designed to promote the growth of the UAS industry in Colorado.