Will self-flying planes transform the skies?

In an alfalfa field in California's San Joaquin Valley, a small crop-spraying plane is flying perilously close to the ground, with no pilot on board. Russ Marotzke, a flight test engineer at Pyka, the company behind the aircraft, explains that the plane can fly even lower than a human pilot, reducing spray drift and the need for chemicals.

Pyka manufactures self-flying aircraft without cockpits, designed for crop spraying or cargo delivery. The company is among a few racing to bring autonomous fixed-wing aircraft into commercial service. While urban air taxis have received much attention, self-flying planes are quietly gaining ground for tasks like crop spraying and cargo delivery, with many manufacturers aiming for passenger use.

Michael Norcia, Pyka's co-founder and CEO, believes a fleet of minibus-capacity planes could ferry passengers along the US east and west coasts before electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft become widespread. Pyka's crop-spraying plane is fully electric, with its battery in the nose and can fly for about 35 minutes, carrying up to 300 liters of spray.

The company has already deployed aircraft in Brazil to spray crops like cotton and soybeans. Autonomous flight differs from autopilot, as it aims to handle the entire flight, including take-off and landing, with little human intervention. This level of autonomy faces stricter safety standards than car technology, with considerable risks if accidents occur.

Military interest and defense contracts have helped propel the technology, but regulatory hurdles remain for civilian use. Pyka aims to scale up production from a few dozen planes per year to 1000 by 2030, with each selling for $550,000.