A hybrid-electric, remotely piloted Cessna 208B Caravan conducted a cargo-delivery demonstration at Albuquerque International Sunport last week, according to an October 19 FAA release announcing New Mexico’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program activity.
The City of Albuquerque Aviation Department and Reliable Robotics conducted the flight, the release said. New Mexico is the sixth location to launch under the federal program, which is intended to gather operational data on emerging aircraft technologies.
For pilots and airport operators, the immediate development is the Sunport’s use as a test location for remotely piloted and advanced-air-mobility operations. The FAA said Albuquerque and other participants plan additional test flights through the rest of the year, but it did not provide dates, routes, operating schedules or airspace procedures. It also did not describe any effects on regular airport traffic.
Although the program is called the Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program, the aircraft identified for this demonstration was Reliable Robotics’ Cessna 208B Caravan. The FAA said data from pilot projects may be used to develop regulations for emerging aircraft operations.
The program was directed by a 2025 White House executive order that called for an eVTOL pilot program as an extension of the BEYOND program. The order says project agreements should address goals, regulatory needs, timelines, information-sharing and data-exchange responsibilities, and it identifies potential operations including advanced air mobility, medical response, cargo transport and rural access.
The October 19 release is a new public disclosure about New Mexico’s program activity. It does not establish that the Caravan demonstration itself occurred that day.