One-Stick Solution Inching Closer to Fulfillment

Skyryse has been given FAA approval to enter for-credit flight testing using their proprietary SkyOS operating system.

Their current demonstrator for the Skyryse One is a Robinson R66 with Rolls-Royce power. It will be interesting to see their success with it, as they continue flight testing. The single-stick control scheme already has appreciators in the industry, too, like the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. They congratulated Skyrise citing the "milestone accomplishment of a fully automated takeoff, hover and set-down at the swipe of a finger, powered by SkyOS".

It's a feather in their cap for the time being, showing that their SkyOS and Skyryse One suite are sufficiently functional in the eyes of regulators, at least enough to log their flight testing. The system will eventually, if all goes as planned around the Skyryse water coolers, offer a helicopter with only a single control stick and two touch screens. 

That flies in the face of pretty much the entire body of helicopter operation so far, and the helo industry is one group that's not too keen on throwing out what works – and what "works" tends to be extremely granular control over all aircraft systems, with all the workload and risk that can accompany it. If successful, Skyryse will upend that status quo with an extremely simple design that's easier to master and safer in every phase of flight, removing the human downsides with internal software that obviates the need for a few dozen switches, levers, and controls in a light helo.

While it may be an affront to die-hard helo pilots, taking away fine control over their aircraft in the interest of normie-friendly ease, Skyryse is picking up fans outside the industry with ease. Buyers want a helicopter they can fly safely at a lower time-cost than, and if Skyryse offers them an aircraft where "mastery" takes 500 hours instead of 5,000 hours, they're lining up at the register. Reservations in 2024 sold out in less than half a year, with plans to fulfill those orders in 2026. Skyryse is still happy to accept more reservations for a cool $2,500 from any interested party, but final pricing varies by configuration, delivery, and all the usual asterisks.

FMI: www.skyryse.com