Automation provider Skyryse has launched Skylar, an AI flight assistant designed to simplify aircraft communication, navigation and operations for enhanced safety and efficiency.

Skylar is an AI flight assistant integrated into SkyOS, an aircraft-agnostic, hardware and software system that gives pilots greater control by simplifying the management of an aircraft during flight operations. Skylar can access data from SkyOS, which manages all flight controls, localisation, engine and aircraft systems. Skylar, like all Skyryse products, is built in-house and leverages modern technology to empower pilots to have their best day, every day.

As an always-on flight assistant designed to reduce workload, Skylar offers support through every phase of flight, from pre-flight planning to startup, in-flight operations and shutdown.

Skylar automatically listens, transcribes and interprets ATIS and ATC communications, including Notice to Airmen, also known as NOTAMs, weather and any additional hazards or comments, for enhanced clarity and context. Skylar keeps a log of ATC communications, while also suggesting responses to ATC communications based on the current state of the aircraft and intended actions. By parsing ATC communications, Skylar gives pilots the ability to command the aircraft to ATC guidance via SkyOS' Autoflight functionality. For example, if ATC says to "climb to 3,000 feet,” the pilot can begin climbing to 3,000 feet with a single swipe of a finger.

Skylar also tracks aircraft that are identified in ADS-B for optimal pilot navigation and enhanced situational awareness in high-traffic airspace. Based on real-time weather and ADS-B traffic monitoring, Skylar provides pilots with optimised flight plans to build and file. By minimising the variables pilots have to manually track and process, Skylar offers informed routing and planning, providing capabilities that were previously unavailable in aviation.

Accessing data from SkyOS hardware on an aircraft, Skylar alerts pilots of any system failures or anomalies in pre-flight and post-flight inspections. Unlike traditional manual checklists, Skylar has direct access to hardware to simplify pre-flight and post-flight processes with real-time insights from previous flight performance and fleet data. This connection provides pilots with critical information to ensure their aircraft is always prepared for their next flight.

Skylar uses weather data and estimated speed along a flight plan to calculate fuel burn to the destination, providing optimal routing for speed, fuel efficiency and/or the smoothest ride. Based on the estimated fuel to the destination, Skylar can advise whether the route is safe to fly and help determine how close other airports are, should the pilot need to land elsewhere, unexpectedly.

Skylar also checks SIGMET (Significant Meteorological Information) weather events along the aircraft route to alert pilots of any inclement weather, including icing altitudes or IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) conditions. Skylar does this by checking the weather at the departure, arrival and nearby airports along the vehicle's route using TAF (Terminal Area Forecast) and METAR (METeorological Aerodrome Report). Skylar also simplifies PIREPs (pilot reports) of actual in-flight weather conditions, distilling relevant data and making submission suggestions to flight service or ATC seamless.

Skylar simplifies flight operations by centralising aircraft management, navigation and communication. With connectivity to SkyOS' hardware on an aircraft, including a complete sensor suite, triply redundant flight control computers and actuators, Skylar offers pilots real-time awareness of an aircraft's state to make accurate, context-aware decisions.

The FAA estimates that up to 80 per cent of aviation incidents involve human error, with communications difficulties contributing to the majority of aviation accidents. Unlike traditional cockpit tools that provide fragmented information, Skylar continuously processes flight data, environmental conditions and communications to present pilots with clear, contextual guidance when it matters most. From detecting performance anomalies to offering immediate situational analysis, the system acts as a true assistant in the cockpit. Designed to be universally compatible across both helicopters and airplanes, Skylar is built for integration across commercial, private, military and emergency response fleets.

“We're bringing aviation into the 21st century,” says Mark Groden, founder and CEO of Skyryse. “For years, we've used AI to talk to our houses and to our cars, and now we'll use it to talk to our aircraft. SkyOS is an intelligent, integrated system that allows us to offer enhancements like Skylar, supporting safe operations in all situations. Our core premise is that you don't have to build or buy a new aircraft to make aviation safe, and once you understand how complex aviation communication is, you see such a clear technology gap.”

Skylar is an AI flight assistant integrated into SkyOS, a universal flight operating system powered by deterministic AI. Deterministic expert AI systems, like SkyOS, operate with a defined set of rules and are built using data pulled from the minds of the best category experts. A deterministic expert AI system is designed for predictability and consistency, generating the same output for the same input, every single time. Skylar adds a Large Language Model (LLM) to SkyOS, enabling the pilot to access data that can be leveraged to enhance safety and operations in flight. By leveraging AI as an orchestrator of trusted data and systems, Skylar is designed to improve reliability and safety.

“The right solution for making aviation safer isn't trying to replace pilots; it's to place them more firmly in control, leveraging the best technology and automation has to offer,” concludes Groden.