The technology, said the company, will significantly reduce pilot workload and improve the learning curve of newly certified pilots. Skyryse aims to use FlightOS and the technology stack to bring a video game-like approach to flight controls for a wide range of aircraft types.

FlightOS can be fitted into any rotary or fixed-wing airframe. The hardware and software package ‘makes flight controls so simple they can be operated with a touchscreen tablet or joystick, while on-board computers control all aspects of the flight envelope, manage the airframe’s structural and aerodynamic operating limits, and leverage exterior radar and sensors for real-time situational awareness’, according to the company.

Mark Groden, CEO of Skyryse, said: “We can take people basically off the street, with no flight experience, and in a very short period of time, they’re capable of accessing that full flight envelope and all the capabilities of the aircraft without any risk of loss of control, flying into terrain or flying into areas of low visibility. The system doesn’t care if there is no visibility outside the aircraft, it’s going to maintain a stable flight profile and continue with what the person desires.”

In December, the company demonstrated the software on a fully autonomous helicopter. “We’ve successfully done it, and we’ve done it with a hardware stack that is entirely transferrable to all other aircraft types,” Groden said. “It’s not just about building a really redundant and reliable airframe, and it’s not just about building a high level of automation into the airframe; it’s about building a system that can support that type of transportation, and that’s what Skyryse is building on the whole. Our technology platform, of which FlightOS is a component, will enable that transportation network of the future.”