Ted Wierzbanowski is a retired USAF Colonel and an experimental test pilot. He has been deeply involved in advanced aircraft development since the early 80s when he was the first Air Force test pilot/project manager for the X-29 program. During that time he also was the fighter branch chief at the Air Force Flight Test Center and helped create and then manage a new organization responsible for all one-of-a-kind and research Air Force Flight Test Center aircraft programs. After leaving the X-29 program Ted moved on to the X-30/NASP program where he served in many senior level positions over a period of seven years including an assignment at Palmdale Plant 42 where he served as the X-30 /NASP Detachment Commander. Ted retired from the Air Force in 1994 and went to work at AeroVironment (AV) where he managed many advanced technology electric vehicle, distributed energy, and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) programs. When he recently retired from AV he was AV’s Director of UAS Airspace Integration and responsible for AV’s interaction with the FAA and other government agencies on UAS issues. In the past he was the President of UNITE (UAV National Industry Team), the Industry Co-Chair of the FAA’s Small UAS Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC), a member of the current FAA UAS ARC, and a member of EUROCAE UAS Working Groups 73 and 93. He is currently the Chair of the ASTM F-38 UAS Standards Committee that is focused on developing consensus standards in support of the upcoming FAA rule on small UAS.
Ted graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1968 and also has a M.S. in Systems Management from USC. He is a graduate of the USAF Test Pilot School and the Defense Systems Management College as well as a member of Society of Experimental Test Pilots and a senior member of AIAA. In 2012 he received the AUVSI Outstanding Contributor Award for all of his work in supporting UAS airspace integration efforts.