Skyryse Successfully Performs World's First-Ever Fully Automated Helicopter Autorotation Emergency Landing

Jace Dela Cruz, Tech Times 15 November 2023, 05:11 am

Aviation software and safety technology startup Skyryse has successfully executed the world's first fully automated autorotation emergency landing procedure.

This milestone marks one of many pioneering safety features that will become standard on all aircraft equipped with Skyryse technology.

The startup is set to introduce the first production helicopter featuring its technology, which includes the world's inaugural simplified control system, in the first quarter of the upcoming year.

(Photo : Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay)

Technological Leap in Aviation

Mark Groden, the founder and CEO of Skyryse, emphasized the significance of this technological leap in enhancing safety within general aviation.

Groden noted that over 400 lives are lost annually in general aviation accidents in the United States alone, and Skyryse's advanced technology, such as fully automated autorotation, aims to elevate safety standards in this sector.

Skyryse's proprietary technology constitutes a highly automated flight control system that can be integrated into any aircraft. It stands as the first and only system designed to collaborate with pilots through a reimagined Human Machine Interface (HMI).

This innovative approach enables effective management of complex emergency procedures, including addressing the dangerous scenario of helicopter engine failure.

In the event of an engine failure, helicopter pilots are typically faced with the challenge of performing a fully manual autorotation maneuver in less than two seconds.

Due to the intricacies of current control systems, no helicopter has been able to automate this maneuver until now, according to the startup. Skyryse's system, equipped with an array of flight controls and sensors, swiftly detects a power failure and initiates a series of procedures.

With the push of a button, the system guides the helicopter through a controlled descent, managing pitch, nose alignment, stability, flare completion, and a seamless landing at the predetermined location.

"Every year, more than 400 people lose their lives in general aviation accidents just in the United States alone," Groden said in a press statement. "Fully automated autorotation is just one example of how our technology will bring a commercial grade of safety and beyond to general aviation."

About Skyryse

Skyryse has conducted numerous automated autorotations, achieving the groundbreaking feat of the first fully automated autorotation from altitude to the ground in a Robinson R66 equipped with Skyryse technology at their flight test and performance facility in Los Angeles on July 22.

Guinness World Records has officially certified this achievement as the first automated autorotation landing by a rotorcraft. Based in Los Angeles, Skyryse is at the forefront of instilling trust and safety in general aviation through its proprietary technology.

By simplifying the complexities of aircraft management during routine operations, adverse weather conditions, and emergencies, Skyryse aims to redefine safety standards.

The startup, which has garnered substantial support from leading investors such as Fidelity Management & Research Company, Monashee Investment Management, ArrowMark Partners, Venrock, Eclipse Ventures, Cantos, Stanford University, and Bill Ford, the executive chair of Ford Motor Company, has already raised more than $260 million.