BREAKING: Tech Aviation Experts Speaks About DC Plane Crash

Tombo Jones – Director, Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership

Expertise:

• Coordination of multiple aircraft operations under air traffic control.
• Crew responsibilities and operations of a Blackhawk helicopter, an aircraft he piloted extensively.

Background:
Tombo Jones oversees the FAA-designated UAS test site at Virginia Tech and leads Virginia’s efforts in the BEYOND program. His role involves managing and expanding projects focused on drone integration and technical research.

Jones joined MAAP in 2017 after a 12-year career with the U.S. Coast Guard, where he progressively took on larger leadership roles. Two years later, he was promoted to associate director. His expertise in operational risk management helped establish MAAP’s structured, risk-based safety framework—an approach that has led to industry-leading regulatory approvals and recognition.

Under his leadership, MAAP has grown significantly, with a strong focus on safety and innovation in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) integration. Before his Coast Guard service, Jones was in the U.S. Army, earning distinctions such as the Bronze Star and Meritorious Service Medal.

Jones is actively involved in multiple industry organizations, including the Helicopter Association International’s UAS Working Group and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. He holds an air transport pilot certification and is a certified flight instructor with an instrument rating.

 

 

 

Ella Atkins – Aviation Expert on DC Plane Collision and Airspace

Background:
Dr. Ella Atkins is the Fred D. Durham Professor and Department Head of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering at Virginia Tech. Previously, she was a faculty member at the University of Michigan in Aerospace Engineering and Robotics.

 

 

She holds degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT (B.S. and M.S.) and in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan (M.S. and Ph.D.). Dr. Atkins is an AIAA Fellow, a private pilot, and an accomplished researcher with over 250 publications in journals and conferences.

Her research focuses on AI-driven autonomy, resilience, and contingency management for both crewed and uncrewed aerospace systems, particularly in Advanced Air Mobility and UAS. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of the AIAA Journal of Aerospace Information Systems.