Merlin Appoints Part 25 Certification Manager, Tim Trank, to Advance Certification of the Merlin Pilot

December 07, 2023 at 09:00 AM EST

Trank brings over two decades of avionics integration and certification experience from L3Harris and Honeywell and will lead Merlin’s Part 25 STC and airworthiness programs

Merlin, the aviation technology company developing the world’s most capable pilot to advance the future of automated flight, today announced the appointment of Tim Trank as the company’s Part 25 Certification Manager. Trank is responsible for advancing the company’s Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) and airworthiness programs on Part 25 aircraft with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and United States Military to certify its highly automated flight system, the Merlin Pilot. Trank comes to Merlin with over two decades of avionics integration and certification experience from L3Harris and Honeywell, where he specialized in avionic retrofit certification (traffic alert and collision avoidance systems, transponders, windshear, ADS-B In/Out, standby display, air data, weather radar, electronic flight bags, engine maintenance, and more).

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Merlin Appoints Part 25 Certification Manager, Tim Trank, to Advance Certification of the Merlin Pilot (Photo: Business Wire)

“At Merlin, excellence in safety and innovation is our priority. We welcome Tim’s vast experience in partnering with regulators to help us certify our advanced automated flight technology,” said Travis Mason, Chief Policy and Regulatory Officer, Merlin.

During his tenure at L3Harris, Trank managed STC programs as an FAA Designated Engineering Representative (DER) for a wide range of Part 23 and 25 aircraft from companies including Boeing, Airbus, ATR, Bombardier, and Embraer, as well as for business jets like Gulfstream, Textron, and more. Additionally, he obtained Technical Standard Order (TSO), Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA), and International Validations on hundreds of programs with the FAA. Most notably, he helped L3Harris become an FAA STC Organization Design Authorization (ODA), which he then managed as an Administrator and Unit Member for five years. Following L3Harris, Trank was at Honeywell where he managed the company’s STC ODA for two years.

"Merlin is a place where great aviation professionals can apply their unique skills and expertise to transform the future of flight. We’re excited to have Tim aboard as we further the development and certification program for our automated flight technology that will immensely increase airspace accessibility,” said Matt George, CEO and founder, Merlin.

“Aviation certification is a complex process but essential to ensuring our skies are safe, scalable, and accessible,” said Trank. “There is remarkable technology innovation emerging across the industry; Merlin exemplifies that innovative spirit with its unique and pragmatic approach to autonomous flight by augmenting existing pilot functions to reduce crew workload.”

About Merlin

Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Boston, with additional offices in Denver, Kerikeri (NZ) and Mojave, Merlin is building the definitive autonomy system for all things that fly. To learn more, visit www.merlinlabs.com or follow us on Twitter @merlinaero.