America’s aviation regulator the FAA has awarded autonomous aircraft maker Reliable Robotics with G-1 certification for its autonomous navigation and autoflight system. The certificate means that Reliable Robotics’ system, tested on a Cessna 208 Caravan cargo plane, has been certified as airworthy by the FAA. This includes autonomous taxi, take-off, cruise, landing, braking and roll-out.

The test plane operated completely autonomous although a pilot was on board the Cessna in case of emergency.

The FAA uses issue papers to provide a structured means of describing and tracking the resolution of significant technical and regulatory issues that occur during a certification project. The signed G-1 issue paper represents formal agreement between Reliable Robotics and the FAA on the applicable airworthiness and environmental requirements for the company’s advanced automation system.

According to Reliable Robotics, controlled flight into terrain and loss of control are the first and second most likely causes of fatal accidents in small aircraft. It is hoped that advanced automation systems will reduce the occurrence of these accidents and bring greater levels of safety to commercial aviation through precision navigation, sophisticated flight planning and robust flight controls.

“We are very appreciative of the FAA’s noteworthy attention to detail and ongoing support,” said Mark Mondt, Director of Certification at Reliable Robotics. “This certification basis is the culmination of years of work with the FAA and represents a key step towards bringing advanced navigation and autoflight systems to normal category aircraft. We look forward to continuing our work together as we move into the next phase of the certification process.”