MightyFly is testing its 100-pound-payload Cento eVTOL freighter using an FAA-approved flight corridor in California. Since March, the start-up has conducted over 30 autonomous flights, and with partners is now starting missions carrying medical and pharmaceutical supplies, spare parts, manufacturing components, and consumer goods to demonstrate the aircraft’s suitability as a business-to-business logistics platform.
Based on a Freedom of Information Act inquiry supported by SMG Consulting, MightyFly has established it is the first operator of a large autonomous eVTOL cargo aircraft to be granted a flight corridor by the FAA. The company is still at the seed-funding stage and is competing with rivals backed by much larger amounts of capital. The Cento is MightyFly’s third-generation hybrid-electric aircraft.
Under a certificate of authorization and special airworthiness certification, the company can fly the Cento at up to 5,000 feet between small airports at New Jerusalem and Byron in the Oakland area. Using a chase aircraft, it is permitted to test beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) capabilities.
“This is a solid vote of confidence from the FAA in our work and our ability to perform safe autonomous flights in the general aviation airspace,” said MightFly’s CEO, Manal Habib. “We now look forward to demonstrating point-to-point delivery flights with our partners in this space.”
By having access to an approved corridor is helping MightyFly to validate autonomous flights in general aviation airports between two locations. It is also now establishing the Cento’s range, which is expected to be up to around 522 nm, and testing command and control communications datalinks and a detect and avoid system it plans to introduce for BVLOS operations.
The flight corridor will next be used for demonstration flights with the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, which has contracted MightyFly to demonstrate how cargo deliveries could work in the state. The U.S. Air Force is supporting efforts to demonstrate the aircraft’s ability to autonomously load, unload and balance packages for transportation.
“MightyFly is unlocking tremendous possibilities for consumers and businesses worldwide by facilitating expedited deliveries at significantly lower costs through their long-range, large cargo autonomous drones,” commented Tim Chae, managing partner with one of the company’s financial backers 500 Global. “The technical expertise and tenacity demonstrated in securing category-leading regulatory approvals since our initial investment three years ago fills us with excitement to see Manal and MightyFly propel the world toward that future.”