Skyryse has kicked off a flight-test campaign for its FlightOS highly-automated flight control system that could improve safety and reduce pilot workload for rotorcraft and airplanes. The California-based startup has been testing its FlightOS system in a Robinson R44 light helicopter since 2018 and on an R66 testbed since last year. Now the company has launched a full flight-test campaign using the R66, the first aircraft for which it plans to obtain a supplemental type certificate (STC) for FlightOS from the FAA.
According to Skyryse, it is now conducting daily flights with the R66 testbed with production-representative versions of the FlightOS flight control system, as well as the full suite of sensors that provide real-time situational awareness. While the company’s R44 testbed maintained its traditional manual controls, all of the mechanical controls on the R66 have now been replaced with the FlightOS system.
Flight OS replaces many of the controls found in typical general aviation flight decks with a touchscreen display and a joystick, while fly-by-wire hardware and software handle most of the core piloting functions, Skyryse said. The company said the system is simple enough that any pilot could learn to use it in just a matter of minutes.
Skyryse is also working to certify a FlightOS-equipped version of the R66 that will be capable of operating under instrument flight rules.