The system
Reliable Robotics is building automation for existing aircraft. Its first product is intended to handle engine start, taxi, takeoff and landing while a pilot remains in the cockpit. The company added $115 million in financing, comprising $90 million in equity and $25 million in debt, as it works through FAA certification. It is also developing a solid-state collision-avoidance radar.
The milestone still ahead
Helping a pilot and removing that pilot from the cockpit are separate regulatory steps. The company expects approval for the first system in 18 to 24 months and says ground-based piloting is at least three years away. These are company forecasts, not regulator decisions. Reliable already operates a small cargo airline using six Cessna Caravans, but that does not mean pilotless commercial flights have been authorized. The significance is the effort to turn a demonstration into aviation-approved operations.