One of the most commonly used cargo planes in the world has successfully completed a flight without a pilot for the first time. The flight departed from Hollister Airport in Northern California and lasted approximately 12 minutes. The flight was operated by Reliable Robotics, which has been working on a semi-automated flight system since 2019 that allows for remote control by a pilot. The company recently announced that the 50-mile flight took place in November.
The aircraft was a Cessna Caravan, a robust single-engine plane popular for flight training, tourism, humanitarian missions, and regional cargo transport. Robert Rose, the CEO of Reliable Robotics, stated, "It’s the most popular cargo plane you've never heard of... pilots will tell you it’s the backbone of this industry." He continued, "The challenge this aircraft faces is that it flies at lower altitudes and in worse weather conditions than many large planes today... so automation will go a long way toward improving operational safety."
Reliable Robotics is currently working with the Federal Aviation Administration to certify its technology for commercial operations, expecting this process to be completed in less than two years.
