Why Aviation Automation Still Hasn’t Reached Small Planes

Self-flying planes are closer than most aviation and freight pros think. Reliable Robotics CEO Robert Rose breaks down why small aircraft still operate with outdated systems, what true aviation automation requires, and where autonomous cargo aircraft fit in the supply chain. Rose shares how his time at SpaceX shaped his approach to safety, software and certification — and why he believes aviation has no excuse to stay this primitive. #AutonomousAviation #CargoAircraft #FreightTech

Reliable Robotics, the autonomous aviation startup founded by former SpaceX software engineer Robert Rose, has raised more than $400 million and is now in execution mode on a FAA-approved roadmap to certify pilotless cargo aircraft, Rose said in an interview at the Up Summit. The company is modifying Cessna Caravans — a workhorse of small air freight — with its own flight computers, actuators, and sensors under a supplemental type certificate, targeting scheduled cargo runs between Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Durango, New Mexico.

The company completed its first series of demonstration flights last month at Albuquerque Sunport under the FAA’s eVTOL Integrated Pilot Program (EIPP), taxiing among commercial air traffic and flying instrument approaches. The next phase, expected to begin next year, will be point-to-point flights between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, eventually with no pilot on board.

This story was originally published by FreightWaves. Read the full story at FreightWaves →