United Airlines Ventures has taken a stake in Airhart Aeronautics, backing the startup's push to transform general aviation through advanced digital cockpit technology that dramatically lowers the barriers to personal flying.
The investment, amount undisclosed, supports Airhart's development of an integrated avionics suite featuring synthetic vision, full ADS-B coverage and sophisticated autopilot functions. Traditional instrument dials have been eliminated in favor of large touchscreen displays while sticks and rudder pedals are replaced by a single active-feedback sidestick. A dedicated bar on the center console manages speed through coordinated adjustments to pitch, power and trim, with further integration for ground taxi and braking operations.
Systems for checklists, lighting, flaps and trim operate automatically. The aircraft powers on with a single button press. Connectivity through ForeFlight and SpaceX Starlink enables over-the-air updates and enhanced situational awareness. The fly-by-wire architecture at the system's core is intended to evolve through real-world installations on customer aircraft before powering Airhart's own future designs.
Airhart was established in 2022 by Nikita Ermoshkin, who previously worked as an avionics engineer at SpaceX on the Falcon 9 program and holds a pilot certificate. The company opened its design and innovation center in Long Beach, California earlier this year and has expanded its engineering and production teams while conducting test flights of the integrated platform.
In partnership with South Africa's Sling Aircraft, Airhart is developing a four-seat aircraft based on the Sling TSi airframe and powered by a Rotax 915iS engine. Performance targets include an 800-nautical-mile range, 148-knot true airspeed cruise and fuel consumption of just 7.4 gallons per hour with a pilot and three passengers aboard. These figures represent meaningful efficiency gains over popular existing models such as the Cessna 172. The company has already flown a prototype cross-country and plans to display it at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh this July ahead of market introduction later in 2026.
Airhart previously raised $4.56 million to refine its unified flight intelligence platform, scale it across airframes and support pilot training. Executives have indicated openness to future alternative propulsion options including electric systems as the firm navigates fuel price volatility.
The move represents a notable expansion of United Airlines Ventures' innovation portfolio. The corporate venture arm has previously invested in companies developing electric vertical takeoff aircraft from Archer Aviation and Eve Air Mobility, Heart Aerospace's regional electric airliner, ZeroAvia's hydrogen-electric powertrains, JetZero's blended-wing body design and Boom Supersonic's Overture program. While those bets largely target commercial and sustainable airline operations, the Airhart partnership focuses squarely on the lighter end of the general aviation spectrum where many aircraft still lack modern automation.
Industry observers note similarities to other efforts such as Skyryse's simplified operating system and autonomy projects from Reliable Robotics and Merlin Labs. By reducing workload and accident risk through contextual awareness and competency-based automation, Airhart aims to address long-standing challenges of pilot training, proficiency maintenance and accessibility that have kept general aviation participation relatively low.
Initial customer avionics installations are expected to begin soon, providing critical data to mature the system ahead of broader certification efforts. Success could open new pathways for safer, more efficient personal and instructional flying while giving United additional insight into emerging technologies that may eventually influence commercial operations.
The announcement underscores growing airline industry interest in supporting innovation across the full spectrum of aviation rather than solely within traditional passenger transport.