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 Reliable Robotics CEO Robert Rose breaks down why small aircraft still operate with outdated systems, what true aviation automation requires, and where autonomous cargo aircraft fit in the supply chain.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.
The core product is a ground control station built around an off-the-shelf flight management system. An operator programs a route via touchscreen, uploads it to the aircraft, and the plane executes the plan autonomously. The system cannot be commanded to fly into terrain or obstacles, and every flight plan must terminate at a runway parking spot. Critically, there is no autopilot disconnect button and no remote yoke, joystick, or rudder pedals — the ground operator cannot take direct manual control of the aircraft.
“There’s no AP disconnect button. There’s no remote yoke or joystick or rudder pedals or anything like that,” Rose said.
A remote pilot remains in the loop primarily for airspace integration — communicating with air traffic control — but the aircraft is designed to operate fully autonomously if communications are lost, following lost-comm IFR procedures and executing automated collision avoidance maneuvers. The onboard radar covers 220 degrees around the aircraft and 40 degrees up and down, and uses an algorithm called ACAS X to perform evasive maneuvers. Rose noted that Congress is currently considering legislation to mandate ACAS X across the commercial fleet, starting with Part 121 carriers and eventually extending to general aviation.
Rose said the company spent its first six or seven years working with the FAA to define a certification roadmap for autonomous aircraft without an onboard pilot. “The plans are signed off,” he said. “We just need to actually build and deliver the system that is described by these approvals.” Despite its capital raise, he described the business as relatively asset-light because it modifies existing airframes rather than manufacturing new ones, with most spending directed at safety analysis, software engineering, and avionics.
On the question of pilot union resistance — a recurring obstacle for aviation automation — Rose was measured. Reliable Robotics is focused on Part 23 aircraft in Part 135 operations, well outside the scope of major airline labor agreements. He argued that automation will roll out incrementally, beginning with safety-enhancing features such as automated takeoff, landing, and taxiing, before any broader debate over cockpit crew numbers. “I think it’s going to take many years,” he said. “That’s a ways away.”
Reliable Robotics has raised over $400 million and is modifying Cessna Caravans with autonomous flight systems under FAA-approved supplemental type certificates.The company completed its first demonstration flights at Albuquerque Sunport last month and plans pilotless Albuquerque-to-Santa Fe cargo flights starting next year.The autonomous system includes 220-degree radar and ACAS X collision avoidance; there is no manual override or remote joystick for ground operators.
This Summary is generated thanks to a transcription of the interview, for the full interview please enjoy the video above.
The post Why Aviation Automation Still Hasn’t Reached Small Planes appeared first on FreightWaves.
