Darren McDonald

Darren McDonald is a Technical Fellow for The Boeing Company with over 28 years of experience and is the 2020 Tony LeVier Award winner.  He was initially involved with the analysis of flight data recorder and radar data for several major accident investigations as well as in the flight data update process for the aerodynamic simulator models for a number of Boeing transports before finding his way into his true passion – flight testing. 

As a flight test analysis engineer, Darren has had the fortune of participating in experimental flight tests on the 707, 717, 757, and 767, as well as several versions of 737, 747, 777, and all variants of the 787.  He hasn’t given up hope that someday he will get to flight test a 727!  The 747 Dreamlifter was one of the most challenging and rewarding programs he has been involved in.  Special interests in flight test include minimum control speed testing, as well as the challenge of improving safety, mentoring others in flight test, and reducing workload during test conduct by improving and standardizing tools and processes. 

Darren is an SFTE Fellow, and has also been one of the main facilitators of the Manufacturers Flight Test Council (MFTC) since 2014.  Darren got his Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona in 1997.