essay: essay.md == 1. quotations == PASS title: "Autonomous Cargo Operations in 2026" [bw_160m.txt] PASS body: "Company to begin autonomous cargo operations in 2026" [bw_160m.txt] PASS body: "Both programs will begin operations this year" [bw_160m.txt] PASS body: "U.S. start-up is pressing for FAA certification in 2028" [ain_160m.txt] PASS body: "for which it is targeting FAA certification in 2028" [ain_160m.txt] PASS body: "SpaceX Alum's Startup Nears $1 Billion Valuation in Pursuit of Uncrewed Flights" [reliable_news.txt] PASS body: "commitments for over 200 systems from commercial and military customers" [bw_160m.txt] PASS body: "Unleashing Drone Dominance" [dot_duffy.txt] PASS body: "allows Reliable Robotics to test its autonomous regional cargo aircraft and explore the be..." [dot_duffy.txt] PASS body: "are expected to begin test operations in August 2026" [dot_duffy.txt] PASS body: "The data from this pilot program will help the FAA finalize essential regulations and safe..." [dot_duffy.txt] PASS body: "one of the largest real-world testing environments for next-generation aircraft in the wor..." [dot_duffy.txt] PASS body: "will conduct autonomous air cargo operations" [bw_eipp.txt] PASS body: "Completion of this program will mark the first commercial operation of regional air cargo ..." [bw_eipp.txt] PASS body: "A three-year project in the FAA's Advanced Air Mobility Integration Pilot Program is creat..." [blog_safety_first_0911.txt] PASS body: "to purchase, integrate and test its continuous autopilot platform onto a Cessna 208B Carav..." [natdef_usaf.txt] PASS body: "an active contract to deploy an automated Caravan in the Indo-Pacific for the U.S. Air For..." [bw_testimony_2025.txt] PASS body: "demonstrate continuous logistics operations without a pilot onboard" [bw_eipp.txt] PASS body: "That is a commercial freight operation, not a demo" [dronexl_160m.txt] PASS body: "Autonomous" [aaaa_2023.txt] PASS body: "requires a remote pilot in a control center who uses the radio and programs the aircraft, ..." [natdef_usaf.txt] PASS body: "is designed to facilitate a remote pilot's responsibility to perform both Remain Well Clea..." [pr_daa_0407.txt] PASS body: "you can take the pilot out of the cockpit, but you cannot take them out of the loop" [blog_safety_first_0911.txt] PASS body: "remote-piloted cargo aircraft deployment project" [bw_eipp.txt] PASS body: "remotely-piloted regional air cargo operations to New Mexico" [dot_duffy.txt] PASS body: "Reliable's fully automated Cessna 208 Caravan will help expand remotely piloted air cargo ..." [bw_testimony_2025.txt] PASS body: "Reliable Robotics Raises $100 Million to Expand Access to More Places With Remotely Pilote..." [reliable_news.txt] PASS body: "our Remotely Operated Aircraft System" [techcrunch_2021.txt] PASS body: "Autonomous" [aaaa_2023.txt] PASS body: "first flights of autonomous passenger airplanes over populated regions" [reliable_news.txt] PASS body: "commercial autonomous cargo deliveries in the U.S. within two years" [fortune_2020.txt] PASS body: "within months" [fortune_2020.txt] PASS body: "these flights will also carry human pilots for safety" [fortune_2020.txt] PASS body: "We would like to see commercial operations inside of two years" [flightglobal_2020.txt] PASS body: "aims to offer a certified pilotless Caravan 208 within as little as two years" [flightglobal_2020.txt] PASS body: "within two years" [avweek_moc.txt] PASS body: "on track to conclude the STC process within 18-24 months" [avweek_certplan_2023.txt] PASS body: "in the 2024-2025 timeframe" [aaaa_2023.txt] PASS body: "a year or two later" [aaaa_2023.txt] PASS body: "within the next two years" [natdef_usaf.txt] PASS body: "targeting FAA certification in 2028" [ain_160m.txt] PASS body: "certification plans, means of compliance, and closed issue papers" [bw_160m.txt] PASS body: "is now rapidly delivering on compliance materials" [bw_160m.txt] PASS body: "it's still hard to predict these things because the FAA does still need to review all of o..." [avweek_certplan_2023.txt] PASS body: "all without a single person on board" [fortune_2020.txt] PASS body: "for research and development purposes with some limitations" [aaaa_2023.txt] PASS body: "flight testing and operational missions of its remotely piloted Cessna 208 Caravan for the..." [reliable_news.txt] PASS body: "This program, and our work with different branches of the U.S. military, means that we are..." [blog_safety_first_0911.txt] PASS body: "scheduled to commence in August 2026" [cargonewswire.txt] PASS body: "flying more UAS than ever" [blog_safety_first_0911.txt] PASS body: "Reliable flies its first paid commercial cargo revenue hop out of Albuquerque before the e..." [dronexl_160m.txt] PASS sources: "Reliable Robotics Announces $160M in New Investment" [bw_160m.txt] PASS sources: "Both programs will begin operations this year" [bw_160m.txt] PASS sources: "over 200 systems" [bw_160m.txt] PASS sources: "Reliable Robotics, City of Albuquerque Aviation Department Partner to Enhance Aviation Saf..." [bw_eipp.txt] PASS sources: "Completion of this program" [bw_eipp.txt] PASS sources: "Trump's Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Visits Reliable Robotics to See How America..." [bw_160m.txt] PASS sources: "Additional Information" [dot_duffy.txt] PASS sources: "Safety First, Autonomy Second: Bringing Lessons From the Cockpit into the Loop" [blog_safety_first_0911.txt] PASS sources: "Reliable's Safety First Approach" [blog_safety_first_0911.txt] PASS sources: "Reliable Robotics Completes Detect and Avoid Testing for the FAA" [bw_160m.txt] PASS sources: "Reliable Robotics CEO and Co-Founder Robert Rose Testifies Before Congress on U.S. Aviatio..." [bw_testimony_2025.txt] PASS sources: "Reliable Robotics Flies Large Cargo Aircraft with No One On Board" [bw_noone_2023.txt] PASS sources: "Reliable Robotics Raises $100 Million to Expand Access to More Places With Remotely Pilote..." [reliable_news.txt] PASS sources: "Reliable Robotics Raises $160 Million For Autonomous Flight" [ain_160m.txt] PASS sources: "Reliable Robotics Raises $160 Million As SpaceX Alum Pushes FAA For First Commercial Uncre..." [dronexl_160m.txt] PASS sources: "DroneXL's Take" [dronexl_160m.txt] PASS sources: "SpaceX Alum's Startup Nears $1 Billion Valuation in Pursuit of Uncrewed Flights" [reliable_news.txt] PASS sources: "With Tesla and SpaceX credentials, start-up flies pilotless Caravan" [flightglobal_2020.txt] PASS sources: "Cessna makes history by taking off and landing with no one aboard. Here's how" [fortune_2020.txt] PASS sources: "Reliable Robotics Makes Progress On FAA Means Of Compliance" [avweek_moc.txt] PASS sources: "Reliable Robotics' Certification Plan Formally Approved By FAA" [avweek_certplan_2023.txt] PASS sources: "Reliable Robotics Flies Cessna Caravan Without A Pilot On Board" [aaaa_2023.txt] PASS sources: "Air Force Acquiring Autonomous, FAA-Certifiable Cargo Plane" [natdef_usaf.txt] PASS sources: "Reliable Robotics lifts $100M to take autonomous cargo planes where none have gone before" [techcrunch_2021.txt] PASS sources: "Reliable Robotics Advances Autonomous Regional Air Cargo Future Through FAA Pilot Program" [cargonewswire.txt] == 2. figures at their source == PASS $160M round [bw_160m.txt] PASS led by Nimble Partners [bw_160m.txt] PASS both programs, fifth paragraph [bw_160m.txt] PASS nearly $1 billion (DroneXL on Bloomberg) [dronexl_160m.txt] PASS $300 million total [dronexl_160m.txt] PASS AIN: 2028 [ain_160m.txt] PASS AIN names Pathbreaker as lead (footer note) [ain_160m.txt] PASS eight projects across 26 states [dot_duffy.txt] PASS DOT page dated June 17, 2026 [dot_duffy.txt] PASS test operations August 2026 [dot_duffy.txt] PASS eIPP release dated March 9, 2026 [bw_eipp.txt] PASS routes ABQ to Durango and Santa Fe [bw_eipp.txt] PASS blog post dated 2026-09-11 [blog_safety_first_0911.txt] PASS three-year project [blog_safety_first_0911.txt] PASS $17.4 million, announced Aug. 26 [natdef_usaf.txt] PASS DAA release dated April 07, 2026 [pr_daa_0407.txt] PASS testimony: House subcommittee on aviation [bw_testimony_2025.txt] PASS Caravan with no one aboard: 11/21/23 [bw_noone_2023.txt] PASS 50 miles away [bw_noone_2023.txt] PASS 12-minute flight [aaaa_2023.txt] PASS Hollister [aaaa_2023.txt] PASS inside sight of ground observers [aaaa_2023.txt] PASS Cessna 172, 15 minutes, south of San Jose [fortune_2020.txt] PASS first unmanned 172 flight, September 2019 ("September last year", article of Aug 2020) [flightglobal_2020.txt] PASS Cessna 172 with no one on board, September 2019 (TechCrunch) [techcrunch_2021.txt] PASS 2023 plan: licensed pilot in the cockpit first [avweek_certplan_2023.txt] PASS 2023 plan: follow-on certification to a ground control center [avweek_certplan_2023.txt] PASS Dec 2022 target said 'in December' [avweek_moc.txt] PASS $100M in 2021 (TechCrunch) [techcrunch_2021.txt] PASS licensed pilots on the ground (2021) [techcrunch_2021.txt] PASS Cargo Newswire repeats August [cargonewswire.txt] PASS dated 2026-04-21: ain_160m [2026-04-21] PASS dated 2026-04-21: dronexl_160m [2026-04-21] PASS dated 2026-04-21: bw_160m [2026-04-21] PASS dated 2026-03-09: bw_eipp [2026-03-09] PASS dated 2023-07-20: avweek_certplan_2023 [2023-07-20] PASS dated 2023-01-06: avweek_moc [2023-01-06] PASS dated 2023-12-06: bw_noone_2023 [2023-12-06] PASS dated 2021-10-14: techcrunch_2021 [2021-10-14] PASS dated 2026-06-22: cargonewswire [2026-06-22] PASS dated 2025-12-03: bw_testimony_2025 [2025-12-03] PASS dated 2020-08-26: flightglobal_2020.html [2020-08-26T16:19:00+01:00] PASS dated 2020-08-26: fortune_2020.html [2020-08-26T14:00:00-00:00] PASS dated 2025-08-26: natdef_usaf (URL path) PASS FutureFlight original dated 2023-12-09 (URL in the republication) == 3. the news page == PASS 130 published items [2026-09-22T18:59:42Z] PASS 53 press releases, 38 articles, 32 blog posts, 7 interviews [{"Blog": 32, "Press Release": 53, "Article": 38, "Live Interview": 7}] PASS exactly one item dated after 2026-06-17: Smith, 2026-09-11 [2026-09-11 Safety First, Autonomy Second: Bringing Lessons From the Cockpit into the Loop] PASS the item before it is the June 17 visit PASS titles calling a flight pilotless or no-one-aboard: 9, all in ['2020-08', '2023-12'] 2020-08-26 Cessna Makes History by Taking Off and Landing With No One Aboard. Here’s How 2020-08-26 With Tesla and SpaceX Credentials, Start-up Flies Pilotless Caravan 2023-12-06 A Pilotless Plane Just Flew for 12 Minutes over Northern California 2023-12-06 Historic Pilotless Cargo Plane Takes Flight Over San Francisco Bay Area 2023-12-06 Reliable Robotics Flies Large Cargo Aircraft with No One On Board 2023-12-06 Reliable Robotics Marks First Caravan Flight Without Pilot 2023-12-06 Silicon Valley Company Aims to Create Pilotless Planes 2023-12-07 Bay Area Company's Pilotless Plane Takes Historic 1st Flight 2023-12-21 This cargo plane flew with no pilot on board titles with 'uncrewed'/'unmanned' but not the words above (none reports a flight): 2022-07-14 Brandon Suarez Joins Reliable Robotics as Vice President of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Integration 2023-08-10 Shaping Standards for Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) 2024-09-11 Reliable Robotics Secures New Funds for Uncrewed Air Force Flight Demos 2026-04-21 SpaceX Alum’s Startup Nears $1 Billion Valuation in Pursuit of Uncrewed Flights 2026-04-29 Reliable Robotics Advances Safety-Critical Datalinks for Uncrewed Aircraft Systems PASS Oct 14, 2021 funding release headline says 'Remotely Piloted Cargo Operations' PASS news page names the Remotely Operated Aircraft System in 2022 [2022-05-26] PASS first news-page mention of the Reliable Autonomy System: 2025-08-26 [2025-08-26,2026-04-21] PASS Jan 30, 2024 military airworthiness release (the company's), summary says remotely piloted PASS Aug 26, 2020 company release: 'autonomous passenger airplanes' == 4. arithmetic == said 2020-08 + 24..24 months -> 2022-08..2022-08 (table: 2022) said 2022-12 + 24..24 months -> 2024-12..2024-12 (table: end of 2024) said 2023-07 + 18..24 months -> 2025-01..2025-07 (table: early to mid 2025) said 2025-08 + 24..24 months -> 2027-08..2027-08 (table: by August 2027) PASS Aug 2020 + two years = 2022 PASS Dec 2022 + two years = end of 2024 PASS Jul 2023 + 18-24 months = Jan-Jul 2025 PASS Aug 2025 + two years = Aug 2027 PASS Dec 2023: 2024-25, then a year or two later = 2024 to 2027 PASS rows 1-3 and row 4's single-pilot date (end of 2025) are all before 2026-09-22 PASS rows 5 and 6 fall due in 2027 and 2028 PASS April 21 to September 22, 2026 = five months == 139/139 checks pass (76 quoted spans) ==