Luna: The world's first autonomous helicopter flight was successful

There is currently no shortage of startups who want to establish new forms of air traffic. The Munich startup Lilium Aviation is working on an autonomously flying electric taxi - and is supported by Frank Thelen, among others. However, this involves a lot of development work. Because completely new flying objects have to be constructed, which then also require the approval of the authorities. The California company Skyrise therefore takes a slightly different approach. The engineers there are equipping existing helicopters with new skills. The company presented a newly developed assistance system for helicopters last year. Among other things, this should facilitate - and thus accelerate - rescue flights.

The long-term goal is to have our own fleet
In the meantime, the startup has gone one step further. For example, a Robinson R-44 helicopter already approved by the US aviation authorities was equipped with an autonomous control system. Integrated sensors record all relevant data and lay the foundation for autonomous flight. For legal reasons, two pilots were still on board during the first test flight. But these did not have to intervene. However, this success is by no means the end of development. Rather, Skyrise boss Mark Groden still has big plans: "Skyrise has the goal of operating a whole fleet of flying objects with our technology." Ultimately, the company's goal does not differ much from the plans of many other flight startups: It to enable more people to fly shorter distances through the air.

Some problems cannot be solved
The start-up's announcements are correspondingly large: The flights should be as cheap as a bus ride and as safe as using an elevator. First, however, a few test flights are necessary to back up these claims with data. In addition, some of the problems of helicopters that are already known today cannot be solved by autonomous technology. The motors and rotors are a significant noise nuisance. In many residential areas, use is therefore only possible to a limited extent. Electric flight taxis, on the other hand, are comparatively quiet. Sufficient expertise seems to be available at Skyrise: The approximately 40 employees previously worked at Airbus, Boeing, Tesla, Ford and JetBlue, among others.