Wisk Aero, an autonomous aviation company, has announced the successful completion of the first flight of its Generation 6 aircraft. This milestone represents a pivotal step forward in Wisk’s mission to deliver the first certified, autonomous passenger-carrying eVTOL to the U.S. market. Wisk is the only company to have designed, built, and flown six generations of eVTOL aircraft.
The aircraft performed its initial vertical takeoff, hover, and stabilized flight maneuvers at Wisk’s flight test facility in Hollister, California. The success validates the aircraft’s core flight systems and marks a critical first phase 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 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 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.”
“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 more for a product designed to meet a rigorous safety case. The engineering methods and technologies are a valuable source of insight for Boeing as we work together to 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 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.
