Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) startup Wisk Aero has what it claims is the world’s first public demonstration flight of a fully autonomous fixed-wing air taxi.
The flight took place at EAA AirVenture and was the first public demonstration of Wisk’s fifth generation autonomous air taxi. The flight included a multi-transition where the aircraft converted from a hover position to wing borne flight four times. The flight also demonstrated capabilities such as 360° turns in place.
The move comes after Boeing Company became the sole owner of Wisk Aero after Kitty Hawk sold its shares to Boeing after ceasing operations last year. Boeing already had invested $450 million in Wisk to help develop a commercial fleet of air taxis for use in public transportation.
It is unclear how this deal affects Wisk Aero’s previous agreement with Japan Airlines to bring autonomous all-electric eVTOL service to Japan. The two companies will develop plans to build autonomous everyday flights using Wisk Aero’s air taxis.
In the video, the air taxi is shown taking off from an airport and hovering, then transitioning to wing borne mode and flying off. While it is short, it shows what the autonomous air taxi may be capable of in the future.
Wisk said the successful test shows the readiness of autonomous technology and electric propulsion. The company is working toward its Type Certification for the sixth-generation air taxi and then launching commercial service within this decade.