Story ID: 
Reliable Robotics Autopilot Tech Earns FAA Nod
By: Jessica Reed
Caption: The FAA accepted requirements for advanced aircraft navigation and autopilot systems
Word Count: 593
Reliable Robotics has achieved significant progress in FAA certification of its aircraft automation systems. The agency has accepted the requirements for Reliable Robotics' advanced aircraft navigation and autopilot systems.
Reliable's technology focuses on continuous autopilot engagement throughout all phases of flight, including automatic taxi, takeoff, and landing. This innovation aims to drastically reduce or eliminate controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) and loss of control in flight (LOC-I), the two most prevalent causes of fatal aviation accidents.
Certification program manager Chris Schulenberg expressed satisfaction with the collaboration with the FAA, emphasizing their shared goal of improving aircraft safety through automation. The certification plan, accepted by the FAA in June 2023, follows the previous year's agreement on the certification basis for continuous autopilot engagement, demonstrating the company's commitment to advancing commercial aviation safety.
Robert Rose, CEO and co-founder of Reliable Robotics, shared with AIN that the company's proposal to fuse existing aircraft sensors for enhanced navigation integrity and precision was initially met with skepticism but gradually gained recognition. Following a briefing session for FAA navigation experts, the agency acknowledged the transformative potential of the technology, setting the stage for formal exploration and eventual acceptance as part of Reliable Robotics' certification project.
Rose detailed the FAA's efforts to replicate and validate the company's findings, underscoring the significance of replacing costly airport infrastructure with onboard algorithms. This shift not only promises cost savings but also extends automated landing capabilities to smaller aircraft.
“Today, if you want to automatically land an aircraft, you need an aircraft that is certified for CAT III ILS (Instrument Landing System) and an airport that has a CAT III ILS installed,” Rose wrote in a recent LinkedIn post. “Only 70 airports in the CONUS have published CAT III ILS procedures.”
He told AIN that installing the necessary equipment at an airport can cost $30 million or more.
Reliable's technology will first be deployed in cargo operations. Rose remarked, “We've got a small cargo airline based in Albuquerque that flies for FedEx, and that's going to be the first adopter for our technology.”
“Once we get all of the operations procedures squared away, then we intend on licensing it out to other operators for FedEx and then Caravan operators more broadly,” he added. “Then we'll adapt the system for other aircraft. I think we'll eventually get to the point where this becomes cost-competitive for general aviation.”
“It's something that I really want and I think everybody wants: improved safety and flexibility. In certain aircraft, the parachute gives you a certain peace of mind, but having an auto land system that you can use any time would go a long way to make yourself more comfortable and safer.”
Looking to the future, Rose predicts a shift towards hybrid pilot operations, combining in-flight and ground-based pilots for increased safety and operational efficiency. This evolution, he believes, will significantly expand aviation's reach and transform global travel and work dynamics.
Reliable Robotics announced on Wednesday that it has completed a demonstration for the U.S. Air Force's AFWERX Autonomy Prime branch. This comes on the heels of military airworthiness approval awarded by the USAF for the company’s remotely piloted Cessna 208 Caravan. During the latest demo for Autonomy Prime, the team showcased “the ability to deploy Reliable’s control station wherever the Air Force needs, and convert existing aircraft using our aircraft-agnostic autonomous flight system,” remarked David O’Brien, senior v-p of government solutions at Reliable Robotics.