On Nov. 3, Urban Aeronautics’ Cormorant UAS prototype successfully completed its first autonomous pattern flight.

This flight was viewed as a landmark because the Cormorant's autopilot is heavily dependent on inertial and ground reference, making this kind of flight more difficult than ones conducted in open and unobstructed airspace. With this successful flight, the Cormorant showed an ability to fly close to the ground and inside obstructed terrain, something other aircraft with similar payloads have not been able to do.

“This flight paves the way forward for the immediate evolution of Cormorant from prototype to near-term production and ultimately commercialization of this groundbreaking technology — for broad applications and markets,” said Rafi Yoeli, founder of the Israel-based company.

Future test flights will look to improve the Cormorant’s transitions through several flight modes, including takeoff, descent and touchdown.

For Yoeli, this successful flight provides validation for the continuing development of Urban Aeronautics’ new family of proprietary technology aircraft, known as Fancraft.

“This is the most exciting time in the company’s history and we look forward to accelerating our progress now that the technology is fully proven,” he said.

Video footage of the flight can be seen here.

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