US FAA Begins Testing Pilotless Cargo Aircraft

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched trials of a pilotless cargo aircraft. The FAA said aircraft developer Elroy Air and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) carried out a cargo demonstration flight at Houma-Terrebonne Airport in Louisiana.

The Chaparral used in the demonstration, developed by Elroy Air, is a hybrid-electric aircraft that pairs electric motors with an engine and is flown remotely, with no pilot on board. The flight was the first remotely piloted test conducted under the FAA's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), an initiative aimed at safely introducing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

The Chaparral under test can carry more than 500 pounds (about 227 kilograms) of cargo. Unlike the small delivery drones that bring food to your doorstep, it is closer in scale to a small cargo aircraft. Its hybrid-electric propulsion lets it take off and land vertically, then rely on its wings in cruise — meaning it can get in and out of places without a runway.

Until now, moving a replacement part for a broken pump on an offshore platform, or urgently needed medical supplies in the wake of a hurricane, has been difficult to do quickly. Uncrewed cargo aircraft like the Chaparral have been proposed as a solution for getting such goods where they need to go, fast.

The FAA established the eIPP to help the government learn how next-generation aircraft can operate safely in US airspace. As the program's first remotely piloted test flight, the demonstration marks a starting point for building safe operating procedures for unmanned cargo aviation.