Uncrewed Cessna 208B Caravan Flight In November a Cessna 208B Caravan made a flight with no pilot onboard. The aircraft was set up with autonomous flight systems that are part of work by Reliable Robotics. The flight was monitored remotely by a pilot on the ground approximately 50 miles away.
The Reliable autonomous flight system enables the aircraft to be remotely operated by a pilot on the ground and improves safety by fully automating the aircraft through all phases of operation, from taxi and take off to landing. The system is aircraft agnostic and utilizes multiple layers of redundancy and advanced navigation technology to achieve the levels of integrity and reliability necessary for uncrewed flight. The system will prevent controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) and loss of control in flight (LOC-I), which account for the majority of fatal aviation accidents.
The Textron Caravan, and other regional cargo aircraft like it, serve an essential role connecting communities and businesses around the world. With a useful load of over 3,000 pounds and a take off performance to operate from shorter runways, these aircraft deliver time-sensitive shipments to many places that would otherwise not have next-day or same-day service. Remote piloting will allow even more areas to benefit from this critical service. The FAA formally accepted the certification plan for Reliable's autonomous flight system in June 2023. The certification plan leverages existing regulations for normal and transport category aircraft and does not require any special conditions or exemptions. For more information: Reliable Robotics 950 N Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View, CA 94043 United States www.reliable.co ***
