In January, California faced devastating wildfires that burned over 57,000 acres, destroyed more than 16,000 structures, and killed at least 30 people. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) operates the world’s largest civil aerial firefighting fleet.
In recent years, though, increasingly larger blazes have stretched the program thin.
FLYING has exclusively learned that, in a bid to get more out of its aircraft, Cal Fire is working with aviation software provider Skyryse to study the company’s SkyOS—a universal flight operating system that does away with traditional, mechanical controls in favor of electric fly-by-wire systems and simplified digital displays. The multiyear partnership is already underway and will cover “multiple aircraft” within Cal Fire’s fleet, Skyryse told FLYING.
“Once an aircraft is powered by SkyOS…the configurations are limitless,” said Warren Curry, Skyryse’s vice president of sales. “Similar to operating systems we know and use every day, we’re able to add and modify applications tailored to the end user.”
Curry, a former MV-22 Osprey pilot for the U.S. Marine Corps, lost his house in the January fires. SkyOS, he said, could prevent a similar outcome for his neighbors.
According to Skyryrse, SkyOS’ streamlined controls will improve safety and payload capacity while allowing first responders to cover more ground. The system—a finalist for the prestigious Collier Trophy in 2024—could revolutionize the way helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft are flown.
“There’s a worldwide pilot shortage, and aerial firefighting pilots are an even more specialized group to try to hire,” Curry said, “so our goal is to scale their impact with technology.”
Room for Improvement
Cal Fire’s aerial firefighting fleet comprises more than 60 Grumman S-2Ts, Bell UH-1H Super Hueys, Sikorsky S70i’s, North American OV-10As, and C-130 Hercules aircraft. These are spread across 14 air tanker bases and helitack bases statewide, capable of reaching even the most remote wildfires in about 20 minutes.
But there is always room for improvement.
SkyOS is designed to enable single-pilot or “optionally piloted” operations from a ground station, for just about any aircraft. Installation is the same regardless of the airframe, Skyryse says, and pilots could use it to train on both fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft. The company is working to integrate it on Airbus’ H-125 and H-130, Cirrus’ SR22, and a few business jets.
It’s also supplying SkyOS to the U.S. Army and reseller Ace Aeronautics to retrofit Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters—including those designed for firefighting. Shipping is expected to begin in 2027.
“Regardless of the fire intensity and size, aerial firefighting is a demanding flight environment and places our brave first responders at risk,” Curry said. “Being optionally piloted allows the pilot to focus on the most important task—the mission of effectively fighting fires, while maintaining the maximum situational awareness in a chaotic environment.”
Curry said the optionally piloted capability is designed to keep first responders out of harm’s way. It can be activated even with a pilot on board, freeing up bandwidth for other tasks—for example, calculating exactly when and where to drop water on a fire.
“Cal Fire has very talented firefighting pilots, but while flying in dynamic conditions, they are personally calculating known winds, airspeed, direction of flight, and current altitude to ‘eyeball’ the water drop,” Curry said.
Curry said Skyryse has already begun participating in Cal Fire drills to better understand first responders’ needs. The company is also integrating SkyOS on a recently acquired Black Hawk, which it aims to fly later this year.
“The learnings from integrating and testing on our Black Hawk platform, combined with the collaborative nature of our partnership with Cal Fire, lends itself to an accelerated timeline,” Curry said, suggesting a SkyOS integration in the near future.
Skyryse is further in “active discussions” to see how its Skyryse One helicopter—a single control stick, IFR-certified version of the Robinson R66 equipped with SkyOS—could support Cal Fire training and spotting missions.
What Is SkyOS?
FLYING Magazine contributor Max Trescott visited Skyryse’s facilities in California to get a firsthand look at SkyOS, a trip he covered in the February 2025 print issue.
According to Trescott, the system’s most striking feature is its replacement of conventional flight controls with a simplified, digital architecture. Skyryse One eliminates conventional cyclic, collective, and throttle controls and anti-torque pedals. The instrument panel, flight instruments, and all avionics are removed.
Replacing them are a triple redundant fly-by-wire system, low-profile instrument panel with a primary flight display, multifunction display, and standby instrument module. Those changes open up space in the cockpit and, per Skyryse vice president of design Peter Blades, make flying as “comfortable as driving a car.”
“By replacing mechanical controls with electric, fly-by-wire systems, we’re really leveraging existing technology in new, novel ways within aviation,” Curry said, “and the importance and timeliness of that deployment becomes especially important when it’s related to first responders.”
The helicopter is controlled with a simple, four-axis joystick. It can be pushed forward or back to alter target airspeed or side to side to control bank angle, which SkyOS automatically limits. Twisting the joystick causes rotation, similar to pushing anti-torque pedals.
Letting go of the control or leaving it in the neutral position causes the aircraft to fly straight and level at the target airspeed, which could help minimize loss-of-control accidents. Per Skyryse’s research, about 30 percent of 577 fatal helicopter accidents since 2000 fit that bill and could have been avoided with SkyOS. It lacks wire strike protection, however, which also accounts for a sizable portion of helicopter accidents.
By dragging sliders on the primary flight display, pilots can manage heading, speed, and altitude, enabling automatic takeoffs. Starting the engine is as simple as swiping right on a slider as SkyOS prevents overheating and hot or hung starts. Swiping up will initiate lift, bringing the helicopter to a hover 5 feet above the ground. A thumb lever on the joystick stands in for the collective—pushing and holding it up sets the climb rate.
SkyOS automates landings, too. If the helicopter is descending too fast, the system slams on the brakes, stopping it at hovering altitude. Swiping down on a slider initiates touchdown. The system further warns pilots of obstacles and is equipped with one of the earliest automated autorotation systems. Skyryse completed the world’s first fully automated autorotation procedure for an emergency landing in 2023—a feat certified by Guinness World Records.
“I’m convinced SkyOS has the potential to reduce helicopter accident rates,” Trescott wrote in February’s issue of FLYING Magazine.
According to founder and CEO Mark Groden, the goal is to elevate the safety of novice pilots to something close to that of a 10,000-hour pilot. The company recently began for-credit flight testing of Skyryse One and is seeking supplemental type certification (STC) to sell the modified R66. Curry said the company will soon share updates on that campaign.
Skyryse has received plenty of interest in SkyOS beyond the firefighting use case. The Army, for example, is weighing whether to install the system on its fleet of 2,400 Black Hawks. The military has bet big on automation in recent years, also contracting with Reliable Robotics, Merlin Labs, and Joby Aviation’s Xwing autonomy unit to test their systems.
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