Reliable Robotics might be the way of the future for aviation.
As Robert W. Rose was flying in for a landing a few years ago at San Martin airport, he remembers how distracted he was.
It was his first lesson and, as his flight instructor was attempting to coach him through the complicated landing process, Rose was only thinking one thing: “Why isn’t this automated?”
The instructor helped Rose land the plane safely, but the question lingered in his mind. Now, Rose’s company, Mountain View-based Reliable Robotics, is at the forefront of AI propelled pilotless flight technology.
This past November, the company conducted a successful 12-minute test of a Cessna 208B Caravan out of Hollister Municipal Airport—with no pilot in the cockpit. “[This is] very significant for us and I think significant for aviation overall,” said Rose, who is the company’s co-founder and CEO.
Reliable Robotics first tested remote piloting in 2019, with the flight of a four-passenger Cessna 172, which was also tested in Hollister. The latest test was more ambitious, scaling up to a larger cargo plane for the November run.
