Boeing-owned eVTOL developer Wisk still plans to fly its sixth-generation aircraft before the end of this year, while it builds the second test aircraft.
Wisk’s autonomous eVTOL, which will be operated without a pilot onboard with human oversight from the ground 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 had planned for the maiden flight of the sixth-generation aircraft to happen before the end of last year.
The company acquired Texas, USA-based Unmanned Traffic Management company SkyGrid this month. SkyGrid becomes a subsidiary of Wisk, adding 80 people to the 800-strong Wisk workforce.
Speaking this week at the Paris Air Show 2025, Sebastien Vigneron, CEO of Wisk said, “We are working to the same safety standards as the latest commercial aircraft, and we are getting really close to flying. But we’re not just doing a plane, we are also developing all the infrastructure that it needs to integrate into the national airspace seamlessly.”
Wisk has been working on the sixth-generation aircraft for nearly four years.
Vigneron said, “We are deep in flight testing with multiple ground testing rigs. It’s really important to us because we are not building a prototype, we are building an aircraft – we’re going for certification and we are almost ready to fly.
“We are learning a lot that will enable us to optimize the aircraft’s configuration and system architecture, reduce the weight and make it more efficient and reliable.”
Vigneron added that Wisk engineers had found opportunities to reduce the number of flight control computers from five to three and ways to make the structure lighter, optimize the propeller blades. Engineers at Wisk are also aiming to complete a second sixth-generation aircraft before the end of the year.
