2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Hanneke Weitering

<p>News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.</p>


<p>New developments and products in avionics, specifically about aircraft electronics in the cockpit.</p>


<p>News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.</p>


Aircraft avionics and training systems are evolving with artificial intelligence

AI Elicits a New Generation of Avionics and Pilot Training Tools

Charles Alcock

<p>News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.</p>


Reliable Robotics wins contract and new funding as rival Merlin steps up flight testing

U.S. Air Force Steps Up Backing for Autonomous Flight Technology

<p>News and issues relating to civil and military unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) of all kinds and sizes, including those used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), combat (unmanned combat air vehicles, or UCAVs), law enforcement, research and other applications. Of particular focus is the FAA's planned integration of UAS into the U.S. national airspace system.</p>


Joby and Reliable Robotics participate in “Agile Flag 24-3” logistics exercise

U.S. Air Force Trials Autonomous Flights with Joby, Reliable Robotics

<p>News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.</p>


The customer wants to convert 30 Cessna Caravans for cargo flights

Leasing Group Orders Reliable Robotics Flight Automation System

NASA and the U.S. Air Force invest in autonomy

Reliable Robotics Gains Fresh Funding for Autonomous Flight Tech

<p>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.</p>
<p>The company'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.</p>
<p>Certification program manager Chris Schulenberg expressed satisfaction with the collaboration with the FAA, emphasizing their shared goal of improving aircraft safety through automation. The <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-07-19/faa-accepts-reliable-robotics-certification-plans-autonomous-flight-control">certification plan</a>, 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.</p>
<p>Robert Rose, CEO and co-founder of Reliable Robotics, shared with <strong>AIN</strong> 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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>“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 [continental United States] have published CAT III ILS procedures.”</p>
<p>He told <strong>AIN</strong> that installing the necessary equipment at an airport can cost $30 million or more.</p>
<p>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.”</p>
<p>“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.”</p>
<p>“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.”</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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 <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2024-02-07/reliable-robotics-wins-military-airworthiness-approval-remotely-piloted">military airworthiness approval</a> 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.</p>


Writer & Editor

Jessica Reed

FAA Accepts Technical Requirements For Reliable Robotics' Navigation and Autopilot Systems

<p>The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has awarded military airworthiness approval for Reliable Robotics’ remotely piloted Cessna 208 Caravan, a single-engine turboprop that the California-based company has retrofitted with an autonomous flight control system.&nbsp;This approval allows&nbsp;Reliable to begin flight-testing the experimental aircraft in collaboration with the USAF, which is interested in developing autonomous flight capabilities for&nbsp;large aircraft such as the KC-135 Stratotanker.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Reliable Robotics is developing its remotely operated aircraft system (ROAS) as a dual-use technology for both defense and commercial applications, including cargo transportation, logistics, and surveillance operations. The company flew its autonomous Caravan with <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-12-09/reliable-robotics-flies-cessna-caravan-without-pilot-board">no pilots on board</a> for the first time in December.&nbsp;</p>
<p>“Nothing compares to showcasing how our autonomous flight capabilities will immediately enable new ways for the U.S. Air Force and other departments of the military to lead with innovation, improve safety, and project power across the globe,” said David O’Brien, the company's senior vice president of government solutions.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Reliable Robotics aims to have a supplemental type certificate (STC) for Caravan conversions in hand by 2025. It will initially certify the technology for single-pilot operations, with the enhanced autopilot helping to reduce pilot workload in the cockpit. The FAA accepted the company’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-07-19/faa-accepts-reliable-robotics-certification-plans-autonomous-flight-control">certification plans</a> for that&nbsp;“continuous autopilot engagement system” in July.&nbsp;Company CEO Robert Rose told <strong>AIN </strong>that he expects a subsequent STC for remotely piloted operations without pilots on board will be approved a year or two after the initial STC.</p>
<p>The U.S. start-up has been <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-10-03/reliable-robotics-issues-findings-us-air-force-flight-automation-study">engaged with the USAF</a> and its Afwerx innovation unit since 2021 to design, develop, and test autonomous flight capabilities for existing Air Force platforms. Last year the company <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-05-01/nasa-and-reliable-robotics-partner-uas-safety">teamed up with NASA</a> to study and improve the safety of uncrewed aircraft operations in the National Airspace System.&nbsp;</p>
<h3 class="subheading"><strong>Rival Xwing Also Flies With the Air Force</strong></h3>
<p>A few days before Reliable Robotics announced its military&nbsp;airworthiness approval, rival autonomous flight pioneer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-05-10/us-air-force-contracts-xwing-study-defense-applications-self-flying">Xwing</a> flew its own remotely piloted airplane on an autonomous logistics mission for the USAF as part of its work with the new Afwerx Autonomy Prime program.&nbsp;</p>
<p>According to the USAF, Xwing's modified&nbsp;Cessna 208B Grand Caravan picked up some unspecified cargo at March Air Reserve Base near Los Angeles on January 26 and delivered it to McClellan Airfield&nbsp;near San Francisco, demonstrating its autonomous taxi, takeoff, and landing capabilities. Meanwhile, another company called Merlin is developing similar technology and is engaged in flight trials in <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-05-25/merlin-extends-autonomous-flight-trials-new-zealand">New Zealand</a> and Alaska.</p>


Science & Technology Editor

Reliable Robotics Wins Military Airworthiness Approval for Remotely Piloted Caravan

<p>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.&nbsp;</p>
<p>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 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W5JHIHq40Q&amp;ab_channel=ReliableRobotics">YouTube</a>.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Company CEO Robert Rose told&nbsp;<strong>AIN</strong>&nbsp;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.&nbsp;“We didn't have to shut down the airspace, but we did have to notify the Northern California control center when we were operating,” he said. 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.&nbsp;</p>
<p>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. Continuous autopilot engagement reduces the pilot’s workload while making the aircraft safer and more efficient, according to the company.</p>
<p>In July, the FAA formally approved Reliable Robotics’ <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-07-19/faa-accepts-reliable-robotics-certification-plans-autonomous-flight-control">certification plans</a> for the supplemental type certificate (STC) it will need to begin retrofitting Cessna 208B Caravans with the advanced autopilot system. According to Reliable Robotics, the certification plans leverage existing regulations and do not require any special conditions or exemptions. Rose said he expects to have the STC for single-pilot operations in hand in the 2024-2025 timeframe, and that certification for uncrewed operations will come a year or two later.</p>
<p>The uncrewed version will include additional detect-and-avoid capabilities as well as a communications system designed specifically for remote piloting. Reliable Robotics is developing its own air-to-air radar that the company says will be able to track all airspace users regardless of whether they have transponders. Rose told <strong>AIN</strong> that the radar system will enable the company to begin flight testing beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) without a pilot on board “in the near future.”</p>
<p>Rose explained that flying the uncrewed aircraft with no pilot on board was an important milestone on the path to certifying the fully autonomous flight control system.&nbsp;“Integration of the aircraft into the airspace is an equal challenge to getting the equipment certified, and there are a lot of things procedurally that we need to work through internally and with the FAA before we can go field this technology in the real world,” he said.</p>
<p>Reliable Robotics has not done any subsequent uncrewed flights since November 21, but the company plans to continue uncrewed flight testing in 2024, Rose said.&nbsp;“There are a number of follow-on tests that we intend to do,” he said. “This first test is a very important step forward in verifying system performance and validating the requirements.”</p>
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            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/futureflight/import/5-%20Danah%20Tommalieh%20serves%20as%20the%20remote%20pilot%20from%20the%20Reliable%20Robotics%20Control%20Center%20in%20Mountain%20View%2C%20CA%2C%2050%20miles%20away%2C%20November%202023.png" width="4096" height="2160" alt="Reliable Robotics remote pilot Danah Tommalieh monitors the flight from a computer inside a control station" title="Reliable Robotics remote pilot Danah Tommalieh monitored the uncrewed flight test from a control station in Mountain View, California. (Photo: Reliable Robotics)">

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            <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Reliable Robotics remote pilot Danah Tommalieh monitored the uncrewed flight test from a control station in Mountain View, California. (Photo: Reliable Robotics)</div>
      
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<figcaption>Reliable Robotics remote pilot Danah Tommalieh monitored the uncrewed flight test from a control station in Mountain View, California. (Photo: Reliable Robotics)</figcaption>
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<p>As Reliable Robotics works to certify its autonomous flight control system, the company is already flying cargo commercially using a small fleet of unmodified Cessna airplanes. It holds a Part 135 operator’s certificate and regularly hauls FedEx packages around the Albuquerque, New Mexico area. These cargo flights provide Reliable Robotics with opportunities to collect the flight data it needs to develop and refine the autopilot system.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Rival start-ups Xwing and Merlin are also developing autonomous flight control systems for Cessna Caravans while operating small cargo airlines. Xwing’s Part 135 air carrier service transports cargo for UPS in a fleet of unmodified Cessnas, while <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-05-25/merlin-extends-autonomous-flight-trials-new-zealand">Merlin</a> is using the airplanes to deliver cargo to rural communities in northern New Zealand through a partnership with Freightways New Zealand. So far those companies have only flown their experimental autonomous airplanes with safety pilots on board.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Like Reliable Robotics, Merlin is taking an incremental approach to certification with single-pilot operations preceding uncrewed flights. <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-04-13/xwing-begins-faa-certification-process-superpilot-autonomous-flight-system">Xwing</a>, however, is taking a different approach and plans to launch with uncrewed operations directly rather than using single-pilot operations as a stepping stone. But large, remotely-piloted aircraft are considerably more complicated to certify than an autopilot, and it’s not yet clear how or when regulators will approve those uncrewed operations.</p>


Reliable Robotics Flies Cessna Caravan Without a Pilot on Board

<p><span><span><span>Reliable Robotics this week published initial findings from its ongoing joint study with the U.S. Air Force into the potential for its technology to automate operations of large aircraft, such as the KC-135 Stratotanker, which is used for air-to-air refueling. The California-based system is working on military and civil applications for its Remotely Operated Aircraft System (ROAS), which is based on continuous engagement of the autopilot.</span></span></span></p>
<p>The study has been based on design and simulation exercises using specifications intended to be applicable to most of the Air Force's large fixed-wing aircraft. The preliminary results were derived from engineering analysis and a visual inspection of an unspecified aircraft, with the California-based company indicating that the KC-135 is "of particular interest."</p>
<p><span><span><span>According to Reliable Robotics, the work conducted so far under an Air Force contract awarded earlier this year has generated three core conclusions. First, the partners have confirmed that the airframe examined can accommodate the system, with only “modest adjustments” needed for remote piloting and refueling operations. In the longer term, navigation and communications upgrades could also be incorporated.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>Second, the study has concluded that large, remotely piloted military aircraft can achieve more efficient and flexible operations that are comparable to those of airlines without needing to build new aircraft, resulting in significant savings for the Pentagon. Third, the company reported that the same levels of system reliability required for FAA certification can be achieved when the ROAS technology is deployed with larger military aircraft flying within the U.S. National Airspace System.</span></span></span></p>
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            <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Pilots oversee the use of Reliable Robotics' Remotely Operated Aircraft System from a ground control center. (Image: Reliable Robotics)</div>
      
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<figcaption>Pilots oversee the use of Reliable Robotics' Remotely Operated Aircraft System from a ground control center. (Image: Reliable Robotics)</figcaption>
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<p><span><span><span>In June, the FAA formally accepted Reliable Robotics’ <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-07-19/faa-accepts-reliable-robotics-certification-plans-autonomous-flight-control">plan to certify</a> the system to be installed on existing aircraft, with the company claiming to be the only autonomous flight systems developer to achieve this milestone to date. In April, <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-04-13/xwing-begins-faa-certification-process-superpilot-autonomous-flight-system">Xwing </a>filed its project-specific certification plan with the U.S. air safety agency for its Superpilot system. Merlin is also developing similar technology and is engaged in flight trials in <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-05-25/merlin-extends-autonomous-flight-trials-new-zealand">New Zealand</a> and Alaska.</span></span></span></p>
<p>In the next few months, the Air Force will receive a more comprehensive debrief on the results of the initial study, and this will determine next steps in the project. Currently, no flight demonstrations of the ROAS platform are planned with the Air Force.</p>
<p><span><span><span>“At Reliable Robotics, we are obsessed with enabling previously unimaginable capabilities for the U.S. Air Force through autonomy,” commented David O’Brien, the company’s senior vice president for government solutions. “Automating existing inventory at fractional costs will provide commanders unprecedented flexibility and safety in meeting acute operational demands with the smallest deployed human footprint.”</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>According to O'Brien, who is a retired&nbsp;Air Force major general, Reliable Robotics is developing ROAS as dual-use technology with a primary focus on commercial aviation applications. He told&nbsp;<strong>AIN</strong>, the company is working with the U.S. Department of Commerce to ensure that the system certified by the FAA will be eligible to be offered to customers in other countries in line with U.S. regulations covering technology that can have military applications.</span></span></span></p>


Managing Editor

Reliable Robotics Issues Findings from U.S. Air Force Flight Automation Study

<p>Reliable Robotics says the FAA has accepted its&nbsp;certification plans for the autonomous flight control system it plans to install on aircraft to enable remotely piloted operations under a supplemental type certificate (STC).</p>
<p>According to Reliable Robotics, its system can enable fully autonomous gate-to-gate operations through continuous autopilot engagement and an advanced navigation system. “Continuous autopilot engagement” is a term the FAA has used to distinguish the system from traditional autopilots, most of which cannot be used for taxi, takeoff, and landing.&nbsp;</p>
<p>“You get on the plane, you turn on the battery, and then you turn the autopilot on, and everything else is done through the autopilot, including engine start,” Reliable Robotics co-founder and CEO Robert Rose told <strong>FutureFlight</strong>. “All of the checklists are processed automatically through the system, and you don't turn the autopilot off until you're back on the ground at the destination airport and you've taxied to your parking spot and the shuts the engine off.”</p>
<p>In the near term, Reliable Robotics says this technology could enable safe single-pilot operations as early as next year. Eventually, the company aims to certify its system for remotely piloted operations with no crew on board.</p>
<p>Rose said he expects to have the first STC approved for installations in the next 18 to 24 months. He noted that while it is difficult to predict how long it will take regulators to approve remotely piloted, uncrewed flights, he believes it could happen by the end of this decade.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Reliable Robotics’ first STC will cover the installation of its autopilot system in Cessna 208 Caravan single-engine turboprops, and it intends to make the system available for more types of aircraft in the future. The Mountain View, California-based company has already tested the system extensively in the Caravan as well as a Cessna 172, flying from its test base at San Martin Airport near San Jose.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The company has been awarded contracts <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-04-26/us-air-force-turns-reliable-robotics-guidance-autonomous-operations">with the U.S. Air Force</a> and <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-05-01/nasa-and-reliable-robotics-partner-uas-safety">NASA</a> to design, develop, and test autonomous flight capabilities, and to study the safe integration of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The FAA’s acceptance of Reliable Robotics’ certification plans marks the completion of the third of five stages in the FAA’s certification process for the STC. First, the company had to come to an agreement with the FAA on a <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-08-23/faa-accepts-reliable-robotics-certification-basis-pilotless-technology">G-1 certification basis</a>, which they wrapped up in August 2022.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In the second stage of the certification process, the FAA must approve the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-01-04/faa-clears-reliable-robotics-next-stage-remote-operations-approval">means of compliance</a>, or G-2 issue papers, which detail how the company will comply with the rules defined in its G-1 certification basis. Rose said the FAA has accepted nearly all of the means of compliance Reliable Robotics has put forth in the G-2 issue papers. “It’s almost done,” he said. “There's a few details that I think are more bureaucratic in nature that we're working through with the FAA.”</p>
<h3 class="subheading"><strong>Continuous Autopilot Consists of Multiple Elements</strong></h3>
<p>The company’s autopilot involves both software and hardware, most of which it has developed in-house. Its flight control system consists of three flight computers that control two sets of actuators on each of the primary flight control surfaces. Its navigation system uses a redundant suite of advanced sensors, including radar altimeters, magnetometers, and GPS units.&nbsp;</p>
<p>While the company has not revealed many details about the various sensors in its system, Rose said it was inspired by systems used in the space industry. Rose and several of his colleagues at Reliable Robots are former SpaceX engineers.&nbsp;</p>
<p>To test out its new technology and gather valuable flight data, Reliable Robotics has launched its own cargo airline, which it recently named Reliable Airlines, under a Part 135 operator’s certificate. Reliable Airlines has a fleet of five Cessna planes it uses to deliver cargo for FedEx in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area.&nbsp;</p>
<p>“It was important for us to stand up this airline from scratch so that we could get a head start on modifying all of the operational procedures that an airline is going to need to have in order to be able to run the [autopilot] system,” Rose said.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Although Reliable Robotics will initially use its autonomous flight system for cargo operations, it could also be used for passenger flights. “There's nothing in the certification that says that we can only use this for cargo applications,” Rose said.</p>
<p>Reliable Robotics isn’t the only company working to certify self-flying airplanes. Rivaling company <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-04-13/xwing-begins-faa-certification-process-superpilot-autonomous-flight-system">Xwing</a> recently began the FAA approval process for its “Superpilot” autonomous flight control system in the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, which it says is the first standard-category large uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) to receive official project designation from the regulator. Boston-based <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-05-25/merlin-extends-autonomous-flight-trials-new-zealand">Merlin</a>&nbsp;is also working on a similar autopilot system, and new Canadian cargo airline start-up <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-07-11/transport-canada-grants-13-million-contract-autonomous-flight-start-ribbit">Ribbit</a> is preparing to conduct autonomous flight trials in northern Canada.</p>


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News

AI Elicits a New Generation of Avionics and Pilot Training Tools

U.S. Air Force Steps Up Backing for Autonomous Flight Technology

U.S. Air Force Trials Autonomous Flights with Joby, Reliable Robotics

Leasing Group Orders Reliable Robotics Flight Automation System

Reliable Robotics Gains Fresh Funding for Autonomous Flight Tech

FAA Accepts Technical Requirements For Reliable Robotics' Navigation and Autopilot Systems

Reliable Robotics Wins Military Airworthiness Approval for Remotely Piloted Caravan

Reliable Robotics Flies Cessna Caravan Without a Pilot on Board

Reliable Robotics Issues Findings from U.S. Air Force Flight Automation Study

FAA Accepts Reliable Robotics’ Certification Plans for Autonomous Flight Control System

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