California-based aerospace company Airhart Aeronautics recently completed test flights of its new cockpit avionics suite for small planes at the company's Long Beach facility. We sat down with Airhart President Nate Thuli to learn more.
The test flights carried out on April 12, 2026 focused on the company's Airhart Sling, which is a heavily modified South African Sling TSi that had been gutted and the interior and control systems replaced.
The objective is to create a new avionics suite that could "democratize" flying small private planes by making the controls safer, more intuitive, and much simpler. This would be achieved by making the flying experience less like an airplane and more like an automobile, including replacing mechanical control linkages with fly-by-wire systems, even removing the traditional rudder pedals.
To learn more about the technology behind this, we reached out to Airhart President Nate Thuli, an aerospace executive with extensive experience in defense modernization.
Thank you so very much for taking time out of your day for this interview. How did your test flights go?
They went great. The system did exactly what we were hoping. As always with test flights, we learned more. One thing we discovered is that when the panel is out in the sun, it is super bright and visible, which is great, but the metal bezel was heating up. You don't even notice until you're out in that greenhouse environment. It never got too hot to touch, but we call that a successful pivot because we are going to apply a new coating that will keep the heat down. That is all part of the process – learning about the real environment.
Those are the things you don't realize. Heat is a big problem. I was just looking over the memoirs of a Concorde test pilot. Because of the heat, the Concorde used to expand, and an engineer's hat once got caught in a crack that closed up when the aircraft cooled down on the ground.
That is exactly the type of thing you wouldn’t think of in a wind tunnel or during static testing. It only comes up in a dynamic environment. Thankfully, our anti-glare coating worked perfectly. When we built the panel, we went with the highest nit brightness of any panel in general aviation, so it’s very easy to see. The lesson learned was simply the need to refine the coating on the metal bezel.
The most interesting part was the data. The system generates a tremendous amount of data, and we spent hours reviewing the computational work the plane was doing. The biggest success was seeing how well the system communicated across different tasks. It’s the "nuts and bolts" that make it high-performing. We have a few refinements to make on fit and finish, but we are moving forward with the given specifications.
Would you say most of your current work is software-related rather than hardware-related?
From a hardware perspective, there are only two main differences moving forward. First, we found ways to shrink the flight computer mounted to the back of the unit for subsequent orders. Second, we are refining the UI. Our interface makes intelligent use of swipes and gestures rather than tapping or dialing. In a high-vibration, dynamic airplane environment, reaching up to manipulate specific icons on a screen is difficult. Simple swipe-based interactions are much more effective.
Furthermore, we will be coupling this with the Airhart flight controller. We are removing the standard stick and replacing it with ours, which includes features like Push-to-Talk and autopilot disconnect, but adds a feature that allows the user to interact with the avionics directly from the flight control. You can change autopilot settings, flight planning, altitude, and heading without ever taking your hands off the controls.
It sounds like the philosophy of a fighter pilot's joystick, where everything is on the stick. I can relate to the difficulty of a dynamic environment; even when stationary, it's easy to miss an icon if the screen shifts.
The mental bandwidth required to bring your hand to a specific spot while managing airspeed and g-forces is high. The Airhart ethos is focused on reducing the cognitive drain on the pilot. In our simulator, we can toggle these simplifying features on and off. It’s an incredible demonstration because you feel a literal "lightness" once the burden of micro-tasks is lifted.
What is the core Airhart concept? How is it different from traditional avionics?
Our founding vision is making aviation safer and more accessible. We use a three-phase approach:
- Phase One: Context-Aware Avionics. We use 14-inch displays – the largest and brightest in general aviation. The system is aware of the phase of flight and provides intelligent prompts similar to a human flight instructor. It uses AI for radio transcription, allowing you to see conversations and acknowledge commands with a single interaction.
- Phase Two: Fly-by-Wire Flight Controls. We are developing an in-house fly-by-wire system that severs the physical connection between the control and the surface. Our logic engine sits in between to stabilize the aircraft and reduce micro-control inputs.
- Phase Three: Clean-Sheet Aircraft. We will couple our avionics and simplified controls in an entirely new aircraft design that is fundamentally easier and safer to fly.
Is it fair to describe this as "driver assist" for pilots?
It is. We often use the analogy of modern electric vehicles. Twenty years ago, a competent driver had to know how to use a manual transmission. Today, technology has made those skills largely unnecessary for safety. In aviation, we have to ensure we are still "upskilling" the pilot to remain competent, but like a fighter pilot’s fly-by-wire system, it keeps you inside the "flight envelope" and prevents dangerous errors like stalling.
Where do you see the private plane 10 years from now?
We see a "concierge" relationship with the aircraft. You plan a mission, and the plane is fueled and ready when you arrive. The system might prompt you to practice a specific approach in a simulator before the flight. The flight itself is high-speed and efficient without the stress. We want to unlock point-to-point travel by removing the anxiety of a heavy workload.
That would certainly boost private aviation. One reason I never got a license was the fear of an engine going out while I’m at 10,000 feet by myself.
That is exactly what we are solving. By making it approachable and safer, the opportunity for more people to enjoy aviation will be there.
I really appreciate you taking the time for this. Good luck and I hope to chat again.
Absolutely. I very much enjoyed chatting with you.
