We Fly: Skyryse One

Here's an inside look at developing a safer, simpler, and smarter helicopter.

Max Trescott

Wednesday, April 02, 2025 at 03:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Skyryse One is being certified on the versatile Robinson R66 turbine helicopter. [Credit: Skyryse]

Key Takeaways:

Skyryse's SkyOS is introduced as a transformative "operating system for flight" that replaces traditional helicopter controls with a single, intuitive control stick and a fly-by-wire system.
The Skyryse One, a modified Robinson R66, aims to drastically improve flight safety and accessibility by minimizing pilot-induced errors and automating complex maneuvers like engine starts and autorotations.
The system incorporates dynamic envelope protection and inherent stability, making flying significantly easier and safer for novice pilots and potentially reducing accident rates across aviation.

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Major inflection points in GA are rare and only occur every couple of decades. GPS and glass cockpits are two examples from the past 40 years, and both have provided profound, long-term impacts on safety and efficiency. Skyryse’s SkyOS, which it describes as an operating system for flight, has the potential to be another transformative change for helicopters and possibly fixed-wing aircraft as well.

If you’re a fixed-wing pilot, it would be easy to dismiss the Skyryse One helicopter—a single control stick, IFR-certified version of the Robinson R66—as a curiosity that doesn’t apply to you, but please keep reading. Skyryse is in the process of revolutionizing the way helicopters are flown, making it easier and safer for anyone to fly those equipped with SkyOS. In fact, some of the first orders have come from fixed-wing pilots who want to transition into flying a helicopter in the safest way.