Reliable Robotics has flown a small cargo airplane with no humans on board for the first time, marking a significant milestone for autonomous aviation. The uncrewed flight test, which Reliable Robotics announced on December 6, took place at Hollister Municipal Airport in California on the morning of November 21.
The company’s modified Cessna 208B Caravan safely executed a 12-minute test flight—including taxi, takeoff, and landing—without any human intervention, although the aircraft was monitored by a remote pilot at a control station about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the airport in Mountain View. A 360-degree camera inside the cockpit recorded a video of the flight, which Reliable Robotics released on YouTube.
Company CEO Robert Rose told AIN that the FAA granted Reliable Robotics a special airworthiness certificate permitting it to fly the experimental uncrewed aerial system (UAS) for research and development purposes with some limitations. The company was required to file a notice to air missions (notam) and fly within a specified boundary that was within the visual line of sight (VLOS) of observers on the ground.
Reliable Robotics is developing its autonomous flight control system with the ultimate goal of enabling uncrewed cargo flights. The first iteration of this technology that the company plans to commercialize will be an advanced autopilot system for single-pilot operations in crewed aircraft, which is meant to supplement rather than replace onboard pilots.