Reliable tests flight automation without on-board pilot

Reliable Robotics took its flight automation testing one step higher by removing the on-board pilot from a remotely operated Cessna 208B last month, the company announced today. The flight with the 1987-vintage aircraft (208B0027) took place on Nov. 21 in Hollister, Calif., (HLT) immediately after a flight with a pilot on board, Robert Rose, co-founder and chief executive of the Mountain View, Calif.-based company, told Cargo Facts . [caption id="attachment_56866317" align="aligncenter" width="1532"] The Cessna 208B flew without anybody on board for about five minutes. (Photo/Reliable Robotics)[/caption] While previous tests have been remotely operated with a pilot on board to monitor instruments and systems, this was the first time the aircraft had flown with only a supervising pilot at Reliable’s control center in Mountain View, Rose said, adding that Reliable began remote piloting tests in 2019. From a purely technical perspective, there aren’t any major differences between remotely operating flights with and without a pilot on board, Rose said. “What’s really different is the level of analysis and preparation that went into this,” he said. “It’s one thing to talk about taking the pilot out; it’s another thing entirely to actually do it, and when you start working through the detailed safety analysis of everything you would do and various contingencies, it’s quite involved.” “On this aircraft we are using much of the hardware that is going through our certification program at the moment,” Rose said. “So it was significant for us that this was the set of hardware that we are intending to go into production with. It’s very significant that we’re running through all of these safety processes with that hardware involved.” The flight did not test the detect-and-avoid system using air-to-air radar that Reliable is developing in-house, Rose said, adding this will start at a later stage. Reliable is still aiming to obtain its STC in 2025, Rose said. Project milestones The FAA in July approved the Project Specific Certification Plan for Reliable’s Cessna 208B automation system. Reliable Robotics is a founding member of ASL Aviation Holdings’ CargoVision Forum, which aims to explore aviation and propulsion technologies that will transform the industry. ASL sees Reliable’s remotely piloted flight as “a significant development for the future of cargo operations,” the Ireland-based group told Cargo Facts . In addition to ASL , Reliable is working with Kenya-based Astral Aviation and Brazil-based Azul to develop autonomous flight operations for their respective regional freighter fleets. Reliable started its own FedEx feeder carrier, now called Reliable Airlines , to operate other Cessna 208Bs for the integrator and to support its certification process with the FAA. Other companies are working toward certifying their own automation technologies using Cessna 208Bs. Boston-based Merlin reached the first stage of the certification process in New Zealand earlier in 2023 and is testing its software with Everts Air Cargo in Alaska , while Xwing submitted its certification plan to the FAA in the first half of this year. Cargo Facts EMEA 2024, the essential event for stakeholders in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, will take place Feb. 5-7 in Amsterdam. Register today to take advantage of early-bird pricing .

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