FutureFlight
Reliable Robotics Flies Cessna Caravan Without a Pilot on Board
Reliable Robotics has flown an autonomous cargo airplane with no humans on board for the first time.
Reliable Robotics' modified Cessna 208 Caravan is pictured during its first uncrewed test flight
Reliable Robotics' modified Cessna 208 Caravan made its first uncrewed flight test from Hollister Municipal Airport in California, on Nov. 21, 2023. (Photo: Reliable Robotics)

Reliable Robotics has flown a small cargo airplane with no humans on board for the first time, marking a significant milestone for autonomous aviation. The uncrewed flight test, which Reliable Robotics announced on December 6, took place at Hollister Municipal Airport in California on the morning of November 21. 

The company’s modified Cessna 208B Caravan safely executed a 12-minute test flight—including taxi, takeoff, and landing—without any human intervention, although the aircraft was monitored by a remote pilot at a control station about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the airport in Mountain View. A 360-degree camera inside the cockpit recorded a video of the flight, which Reliable Robotics released on YouTube.