MightyFly, a company developing autonomous cargo aircraft for expedited logistics, has received FAA flight corridor approval in the US. MightyFly started flight testing the Cento aircraft at the beginning of the flight corridor in March, making rapid progress with its flight testing programme.

This first FAA approval was confirmed via Freedom of Information Act inquiry in late March, based on certification on 25 January, 2024 and includes the Certificate of Waiver or Authorisation for a flight corridor of up to 5,000ft in altitude between the New Jerusalem and Byron airports in California, and a Special Airworthiness Certification enabling the company to test Beyond Visual Line of Site (BVLOS) capabilities while using a chase aircraft.

From an aircraft flight testing perspective, this flight corridor unlocks the potential for MightyFly to advance its flight testing capabilities, perform autonomous A-to-B flights within the general aviation airspace, test aircraft range, test long-range Command and Control datalink communication, and to test future Detect and Avoid system for BVLOS flights.

From a business development perspective, MightyFly's Special Airworthiness Certification market survey authorisation allows the company to start demonstrating point-to-point autonomous delivery flights and carrying out proof of concept programmes with customers and partners. This Certificate of Waiver or Authorisation is a key enabler for MightyFly to position itself as a B2B expedited logistics industry disruptor.

This was all possible due to the maturity of MightyFly's aircraft, the expertise of the team both in autonomous aircraft development and aviation regulation, and the company's relationship with the FAA. MightyFly is first to receive this regulatory approval while being in its seed-fund stage, as compared to more highly funded autonomous cargo eVTOL companies with more than 10X the capital.

On 4 March this year, MightyFly started flying the 2024 Cento, its third-generation autonomous cargo aircraft, at the corridor's origin airport. To date, the 2024 Cento has made strong gains in its flight test programme, completing over 30 autonomous flights in the span of a few weeks.

The flight test campaign began after a series of ground tests were conducted both at HQ and at the test site. Those tests followed the public unveiling of the 2024 Cento aircraft in late January. This rapid progress is a testimony to the robustness of MightyFly's autonomous flight technology, previously tested with its first and second-generation aircraft.

"We are thrilled to publicly announce that we are the first large autonomous cargo eVTOL company to receive a flight corridor approval from the FAA and that we have already achieved some exciting and tangible flight test progress of the 2024 Cento. This is a solid vote of confidence from the FAA in our work and our ability to perform safe autonomous flights in the general aviation airspace. We now look forward to demonstrating point-to-point delivery flights with our partners in this space," says CEO Manal Habib.

The flight test campaign will incorporate A-to-B flights and showcase autonomous deliveries of various use cases. MightyFly will start demonstrations of delivery flights of medical and pharmaceutical supplies, spare parts and manufacturing components, and fast-moving consumer goods inside its flight corridor and expand to additional use cases and markets.

The flight corridor will enable MightyFly to prepare for two major upcoming public flight debuts. Under a contract with the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, MightyFly will publicly demonstrate point-to-point autonomous cargo delivery flights to partners and potential customers in Michigan. The company is also planning to demonstrate flights to the US Air Force, showcasing its autonomous loading, unloading and balancing of packages capabilities. These public demonstrations will kick off the company's entry into the expedited delivery market.

MightyFly's large autonomous hybrid eVTOL cargo aircraft are purposefully designed and manufactured to excel in providing efficient delivery solutions when timelines and costs are critical. MightyFly will drastically improve expedited delivery services for those who rely on just-in-time deliveries, such as manufacturers, medical teams, first responders, retailers and logistics companies.