Wisk Aero has completed 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 US. Wisk reckons to be the only company to have designed, built and flown six generations of eVTOL aircraft.

The aircraft performed its initial vertical takeoff, hover and stabilised flight manoeuvres at Wisk's flight test facility in Hollister, California. 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.

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.

“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 programme,” says 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 energised to continue the journey to bring safe, everyday flight to everyone.”

“We are excited to see Wisk achieve this milestone, and I'm so proud of the team that made it possible,” adds 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.”

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 programme with the FAA and is designing its aircraft to meet or exceed today's rigorous commercial aviation safety standards.

With the successful first hover flight completed, Wisk is now executing a rigorous flight test programme 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 manoeuvres such as longitudinal transition, lateral translation and pedal turns. Each test provides crucial data to verify the control laws, structural loads and aircraft dynamics, allowing for refinement as needed.

In parallel, Wisk continues to mature its autonomy technologies, including detect-and-avoid and navigation systems, and is collaborating closely with the FAA, NASA, SkyGrid and others to build a more efficient airspace. With the achievement of Gen 6 first flight, Wisk is advancing on its mission to deliver a new mode of transportation that will not only strengthen the U.S.'s leadership in aviation but also make aviation safer around the world.