Wisk Aero, an autonomous aviation company, announced the successful completion of the first flight of its Generation 6 aircraft. The flight is a pivotal step forward in Wisk’s journey to deliver the first certified, autonomous passenger-carrying eVTOL to market in the U.S. Wisk is the only company to have designed, built, and flown six generations of eVTOL aircraft.
Vertical Takeoff, Hover, and Stabilized Flight Maneuvers at Hollister, CA Facility
The aircraft performed its initial vertical takeoff, hover, and stabilized flight maneuvers at Wisk’s flight test facility in Hollister, CA. This success validates the aircraft’s core flight systems and is a critical first step in an extensive testing campaign. This Generation 6 aircraft is the subject of Wisk’s type certification application and ongoing certification project.
First-Ever Candidate for FAA-Certified Commercial Autonomous Passenger Aircraft in the U.S.
Leveraging learnings from Wisk’s previous five generations of aircraft and more than 1,750 test flights, Gen 6 is the first-ever candidate for an FAA-certified commercial autonomous passenger aircraft in the U.S., with launch markets including Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami. This first hover flight is a pivotal moment in Wisk’s journey to bring safe, autonomous flight to market.
“Seeing Gen 6 Take Flight Is an Exciting Moment for Wisk and the Future of Aviation” – Sebastien Vigneron, Wisk CEO
“This first flight is the moment our team has been working toward, and it is a powerful demonstration of the work, expertise, and commitment that have gone into the Gen 6 program,” said Wisk CEO Sebastien Vigneron. “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.”
“A Valuable Source of Insight for Boeing” – Brian Yutko, Boeing VP and Wisk Board Chairman
“We are excited to see Wisk achieve this milestone, and I’m so proud of the team that made it possible,” said Brian Yutko, VP of Product Development at Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Chairman of the Board at Wisk. “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.”
Ground-Based Multi-Vehicle Supervisor Model for Safety, Scalability, and Affordability
Wisk aircraft are all-electric and autonomous, with dedicated human oversight from a ground-based Multi-Vehicle Supervisor—a pioneering model Wisk believes is key to achieving high levels of safety, scalability, and affordability. Wisk has an active certification program with the FAA and is designing its aircraft to meet or exceed today’s rigorous commercial aviation safety standards.
