Production conforming aircraft moves step closer to certification, revolutionizing flight

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Dec. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Skyryse, the creator of SkyOS, the world's first universal operating system for flight, today announced, after seven years of hard work, the recent completion of the world's first fully automated hover at the swipe of a finger in a fully-conforming production aircraft.

In a feat akin to the first time a car autonomously pulled out of a parking spot, a fully-conforming production Skyryse One executed a stable, fully automated hover with just a simple swipe of the finger. The accomplishment was then successfully validated numerous times, including with Skyryse CEO Dr. Mark Groden at the controls.

Each time, the aircraft performed a textbook-perfect seamless and stable hover. While not the first time Skyryse has achieved hover with the swipe of a finger – having accomplished it countless times in test aircraft, it is the first time it's been achieved in a fully-conforming, triply-redundant production unit without any backup conventional controls in the cockpit.

"Until today, every helicopter ever built has taken off using basically the same mechanical controls that Igor Sikorsky used in his first flight 85 years ago," said Dr. Mark Groden, CEO of Skyryse. "This latest accomplishment – following our successful achievement of the world's first fully-automated autorotation, the world's first aircraft flown with a single control stick, and the world's first engine-start with the swipe of a finger – will allow any pilot, regardless of experience level, to achieve a perfect takeoff, every time, with just the swipe of a finger."

Skyryse's success, after years of rigorous flight testing on multiple test platforms, demonstrates the company's progress toward its mission to make flying simpler and safer and allowing anyone to fly any aircraft.

For more information on Skyryse and SkyOS, please visit the Skyryse website.

About Skyryse, Inc.

Founded in 2016, the mission of Los Angeles-based Skyryse is to bring about a new era in flight, with a goal of zero fatalities, and where piloting any aircraft is simple and safe. Their proprietary SkyOS universal operating system for flight – which powers their first aircraft, the Skyryse One – gives pilots greater control by simplifying the management of an aircraft during standard flight operations, inclement weather, and emergencies. Skyryse has raised more than $300 million from leading investors, including Fidelity Management & Research Company, Monashee Investment Management, Positive Sum, ArrowMark Partners, Venrock, Eclipse Ventures, Cantos, Stanford University, and Bill Ford, Executive Chair, Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit or watch videos of Skyryse in action on YouTube.

SOURCE Skyryse