Developing STC For Fly-By-Wire In R-66

Rex Alexander spoke with Warren Curry of Skyryse about the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) SkyRyse is developing that it anticipates will be certified in 2025. The STC is for a fly-by-wire system named SkyOS, in this instance for the Robinson R-66 helicopter.

SkyOS is very different from what helicopter pilots are used to. Instead of using a collective, cyclic, and pedals to control the aircraft, SkyOS combines all of those parameters into one side-mounted stick that the pilot uses to control all the same flight parameters. In fact, the Skyryse One helicopter is an adaptation of the R-66 with all the modifications done to the interior and control systems: sidestick for control but no collective, no cyclic, and no pedals.

SkyOS fly-by-wire simplifies the operations in the cockpit. It provides dynamic flight envelope protection, keeping the aircraft inside the safety diagram where the aircraft can operate safely and perform effectively without allowing it to get into things like vortex ring state or other flight parameters that can put it into an unsafe or hazardous condition.

For pilot certification, Curry says existing helicopter pilots can transition to the new system in about 6 hours of training while fixed-wing pilots would require about 30 hours of training, pretty standard for helicopter training.

For students new to aviation, the company is still working out with the FAA what that training would look like because the system flies so differently than a traditional helicopter. Students certainly can start out in the Skyryse One but if they wanted to move to traditional helicopters they would have to do the additional normal training in the traditional helicopter.

The SkyOS is an aircraft agnostic system and the R-66 is simply the first aircraft for the install, and Curry says Skyryse is already exploring additional partners for installations but he was evasive about naming names and said in the coming months we’ll hear about them.

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