Merlin, a developer of autonomous flight know-how for fixed-wing plane, at the moment introduced it efficiently started the flight test campaign of its certification-ready Cessna Caravan aircraft geared up with the Merlin Pilot. This marketing campaign goals to show the security case for licensed superior automation for an plane platform, which might be extensible throughout extra plane sorts and courses, together with the Merlin Pilot’s integration on the C-130J and the KC-135 in partnership with america Air Pressure.
“Merlin emerged from a broad discipline of experimental demonstrators, and is now uniquely delivering a ‘closing draft’ with the flight take a look at marketing campaign of the business’s first certification-ready Cessna Caravan. What we’ve put in on this plane is just not a prototype as that is not R&D. That is the precise certification configuration together with design information, tons of of drawings and substantiation studies, customized racks and buildings, compliant wiring, and extra,” mentioned Matt George, CEO and founder, Merlin. “With this plane we’re validating takeoff to landing superior automation, which for pilots, represents a system that’s really ‘set it and overlook it.’ On the finish of the marketing campaign with this certification configuration we are going to in the end return this plane to service within the Supplemental Sort Certificates configuration. That is a part of our regular push in direction of our certification and commercialization objectives.”
The aircraft was converted to incorporate a glass cockpit with superior avionics, new sensors, autopilot, and an automatic communication system. Notably, the superior automation programs function twin redundancy akin to these discovered within the Half 25 air transport class plane, guaranteeing enhanced reliability and security requirements. The plane initially underwent integration verify flights in June 2024, useful verify flights, and is now working by open, inside, and closed looping testing flights, which can culminate in Q3 2024 with validation of Merlin’s computerized flight management system, in keeping with the corporate.
“At Merlin, we take progressive, pragmatic steps as has been evidenced earlier than with our latest strategy to our Certification System Bench. The identical might be mentioned for this flight take a look at marketing campaign. We stripped every thing out of this Cessna Caravan and changed the instrument panel and legacy programs with cutting-edge trendy avionics, the newest show programs, and customized {hardware} and software program for the Merlin Pilot. This consists of an air information laptop, inertial navigation system, heading system, radar altimeter, all of which have been built-in at an extremely excessive stage of high quality in an effort to meet certification requirements,” mentioned Sherif Ali, Chief Engineer, Merlin. “With these programs onboard, the Merlin Pilot is ready to perceive the place the plane is, the place it’s going, and extra. This info goes into our flight management computer systems and is processed such that the Merlin Pilot can in the end fly the plane the place it must go, when it must go there.”
For extra info
https://www.businesswire.com/information/house/20240905607297/en/Merlin-Begins-Business-First-Flight-Take a look at-Marketing campaign-of-Certification-Prepared-Plane
发布者：Philip Butterworth-Hayes，转转请注明出处：https://robotalks.cn/merlin-starts-flight-test-campaign-of-its-automated-merlin-pilot-cessna-caravan-platform/
