Flying the pattern with robot 208B

Imagine settling into the traffic pattern behind a Cessna Caravan, which performs exactly as expected. The plane banks gently, lines up on final, and touches down smoothly. Everything seems normal. That is until you touch down, taxi in, and start your shut down beside it. Only then do you notice the one detail you missed in the air: There was never anyone in the cockpit.

This isn’t science fiction. It’s an emerging reality as Reliable Robotics of Mountain View, California, recently secured a contract with NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate to advance artificial intelligence flight tests. Reliable Robotics has already made headlines for its work automating Cessna Caravans, including its first uncrewed flight at Hollister Municipal Airport demonstrating fully automated takeoffs, landings, and taxi operations under FAA-approved testing conditions. The company’s Reliable Autonomy System can operate either with a safety pilot on board or able to take control remotely, and has shown the potential for AI to manage routine flight tasks.

Under the new agreement, the test campaign will not only evaluate routine operations but will also include and simulate contingency scenarios such as lost-link procedures, detect-and-avoid with visual observers, and GPS-degraded or -denied conditions. Testing will also include operational testing around regional airports to evaluate aircraft maneuvers, air traffic control interactions, and traffic avoidance for remotely piloted operations. For general aviation pilots, this could soon mean sharing the pattern with AI, as machines begin to operate under the same rules, in the same airspace, and under the direction of human controllers who are not necessarily on board.

Data collected from these flights will be shared with NASA, the FAA, and other regulatory bodies to further support the development and validation of Minimum Operational Performance Standards, Minimum Aviation System Performance Standards, or other standards for large uncrewed aircraft systems.

For Reliable Robotics, each successful test is another step toward FAA certification and a broader adoption of autonomous flight. It also represents a shift in how pilots will interact with aircraft in the future: Oversight and intervention may replace hands-on control in many routine operations, leaving pilots to focus on strategy and contingency management.

“This testing campaign comes at a unique moment in time, when safety-enhancing aircraft autonomy is rapidly nearing FAA certification and entry into service for regional air cargo and military use cases. Efforts like this are how we continue to advance the necessary public policy ecosystem,” said Robert Rose, CEO and co-founder of Reliable Robotics. “We deeply value the continued partnership with NASA to conduct testing that will advance industry-wide efforts to expand remotely piloted aircraft operations at airports.”

In practice, this interaction could take many forms. Advanced air mobility networks in urban centers may soon transport passengers in air taxis that follow optimized flight corridors, while human operators monitor multiple vehicles at once. Cargo operations could leverage drones and small autonomous aircraft to deliver critical supplies to remote or hard-to-reach areas, where traditional logistics face challenges due to terrain or weather—all with minimal human involvement.

If automation continues to lower the skill and time requirements for safe aircraft operation, and robust safety standards and oversight remain in place, aviation may become more accessible, reliable, and widely adopted, allowing more people to benefit.

The goal is to create a hybrid airspace where AI and human pilots collaborate seamlessly.