Reliable Robotics has made further certification progress with the FAA's acceptance of requirements for its advanced aircraft navigation and autopilot systems. These systems provide continuous autopilot engagement throughout all phases of flight including automatic taxi, take off and landing. Reliable Robotics and the FAA established agreement on the testing and analysis that will be performed to show that these highly automated systems satisfy FAA safety and performance requirements for operations throughout the conterminous United States and Alaska.

Accurate, high-integrity navigation and continuous autopilot engagement systems are key elements of Reliable's roadmap to reduce or eliminate controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) and loss of control in flight (LOC-I), the two most common causes of fatal aviation accidents. The agreed-upon means of compliance were coordinated and accepted via the FAA's issue paper process and provide clear requirements for approval as part of Reliable's ongoing supplemental type certificate project.

"We are immensely pleased with the FAA and the positive working relationship we've established together; it is clear that we share the common goal of improving aircraft safety through automation," says Chris Schulenberg, Reliable Robotics certification programme manager.

Reliable's certification plan was accepted by the FAA in June 2023, providing a roadmap for certification using existing FAA regulations and processes. This followed progress made the year prior, when the FAA agreed to the certification basis for continuous autopilot engagement through the G-1 issue paper process.