Wisk Aero completes first flight of Generation 6 autonomous aircraft

Wisk Aero yesterday said it has completed the first flight of its Generation 6 autonomous aircraft. The aircraft performed its initial vertical takeoff, hover, and stabilized flight maneuvers at the aviation company’s flight test facility in Hollister, Calif.

“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.”

Founded in 2010, Wisk is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company aims to bring a certified, autonomous passenger-carrying electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) to market in the U.S.

Wisk Aero builds on experience, works with FAA

Wisk Aero aircraft are all-electric and autonomous, with dedicated human oversight from a ground-based Multi-Vehicle Supervisor. It asserted that this model “is key to achieving high levels of safety, scalability, and affordability.”

The company has an active certification program with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and said it is designing its aircraft to meet or exceed today’s commercial aviation safety standards.

Wisk’s latest aircraft applies lessons from its previous five generations of aircraft and more than 1,750 test flights. The aircraft is a candidate for an FAA-certified commercial autonomous passenger aircraft in the U.S., with launch markets including Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami.

The test flight validated the aircraft’s core flight systems and is a first step in Wisk’s extensive testing campaign. The Generation 6 aircraft is the subject of Wisk’s type certification application and ongoing certification project.

Gen 6 test flight program to continue

With the successful first hover flight completed, Wisk Aero is now executing a flight test program focused on safely validating 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. The company said each test provides crucial data to verify its control laws, structural loads, and aircraft dynamics, allowing for refinement as needed.

“We are excited to see Wisk achieve this milestone, and I’m so proud of the team that made it possible,” said Brian Yutko, vice president 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,” he added. “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.”

In parallel, Wisk said it continues to mature its autonomy technologies, including detect-and-avoid and navigation systems. It is collaborating with the FAA, NASA, SkyGrid, and others to build a more efficient airspace.