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In an impressive feat of safety innovation, Skyryse has completed the world's first fully automated autorotation emergency landing procedure. Skyryse announced the achievement on Thursday, announcing that this feature will come standard on all Skyryse-equipped planes and helicopters, along with the first production helicopter equipped with the technology, including the first-ever simplified control system, in the first quarter of 2024.
"Every year, more than 400 people lose their lives in general aviation accidents just in the United States alone," Skyryse Founder and CEO Mark Groden said. "Fully automated autorotation is just one example of how our technology will bring a commercial grade of safety and beyond to general aviation."
The proprietary technology is a highly automated flight control system that can be installed on any aircraft. The technology is the first and only system to work with the pilot through a reimagined Human Machine Interface. The HMI works with the pilot by managing complex emergency procedures, even catastrophic scenarios like engine failure.
When helicopter pilots encounter engine failure, they have less than two seconds to perform a series of fully manual multiple control movements in a maneuver called autorotation. Due to the intricate nature of the current control systems, no helicopter can fully automate the maneuver - until now. Using the proprietary redundant flight controls and sensors, the Skyryse system works to swiftly recognize the power failure and launch multiple procedures, thus, making the landing uneventful. From the entry to a steady descent, the system will lower the pitch, align the nose, manage aircraft stability, complete the flair and land at the desired landing location.
Skyryse has undergone dozens of automated autorotations with its first fully automated autorotation, from altitude fully to the ground, in a Robinson R66 equipped with Skyryse technology. The autorotations were completed at the Los Angeles-area Flight Test and Performance Facility on July 22, 2023 with Guinness World Records. The July testing with Guinness certified the record for the first automated autorotation landing by rotorcraft.