Wisk Aero has flown the sixth version of its autonomous eVTOL for the first time, achieving the first-ever flight of a candidate for certification of an autonomous passenger-carrying aircraft in the USA.
The Gen 6 eVTOL aircraft performed its initial vertical takeoff, hover, and stabilized flight maneuvers at Wisk’s flight test facility in Hollister, California. This first hover flight validated the aircraft’s core flight systems and is the first step in the flight testing campaign.
The Gen 6 aircraft is the one Wisk is putting forward for type certification and will use for its ongoing certification project.
The autonomous eVTOL will be operated with human oversight from the ground and can carry up to four passengers. The aircraft will have a range of up to 90 miles (144km) and fly at altitudes of 2,500 to 4,000ft at speeds of around 100 to 120mph (160 to 190km/h).
Wisk plans to begin operations before the end of the decade and to launch commercial operations in Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami in the USA.
Wisk has flown its previous five generations of aircraft more than 1,750 times. The company, which was founded in 2010 as Zee Aero, has been working on the Gen 6 aircraft for four years.
Wisk CEO Sebastien Vigneron said, “Seeing Gen 6 take flight is an exciting moment for Wisk and the future of aviation. It reaffirms our belief in autonomy, and we are even more energized to continue the journey to bring safe, everyday flight to everyone.”
Brian Yutko, vice president of product development at Boeing Commercial Airplanes and chairman of the Board at Wisk, which is a Boeing subsidiary said, “The team at Wisk has built advanced technologies across flight controls, sensing, navigation, mission management, electric power, systems integration, and many others for a product that is designed to meet a rigorous safety case for a focused concept of operations.
“The engineering methods and technologies are all a valuable source of insight for Boeing as we work together and thoughtfully apply them to the future of flight.”
Wisk’s flight test program will validate the Gen 6 design, simulation models, and system performance. The initial phase of testing will focus on building out the hover regime, concentrating on takeoffs, landings, and low-speed stability before expanding to higher speeds and altitudes, including complex maneuvers such as longitudinal transition, lateral transition, and pedal turns.
Testing will provide data to verify our control laws, structural loads, and aircraft dynamics, allowing for refinement as needed.
Wisk is also working to mature its autonomy technologies, including detect-and-avoid and navigation systems, through partnerships with the FAA, NASA and SkyGrid.
