Boeing subsidiary Wisk Aero recently completed the public demonstration flight of a fully autonomous, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL), fixed-wing air taxi. The milestone flight, which took place at EAA AirVenture, also marked the company’s first public demonstration of its 5^th Generation autonomous, eVTOL technology demonstrator (Cora).

Wisk completed a multi-transition flight, during which the air taxi transitioned from hover to wing-borne flight four times. The flight also included multiple maneuvers that demonstrated the unique capabilities of the aircraft, such as hover, 360-degree turns in place, and more.

We’re proud to demonstrate the autonomous technology behind our self-flying first approach. This demonstration showcases the state of readiness for autonomous technology and electric propulsion. Combined with the progress we’re making on Type Certification for our 6^th Generation air taxi, we’re proving that autonomy is possible and it’s happening today. We look forward to launching the first passenger service on an all-electric, autonomous air taxi within this decade.

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In June, Wisk Aero announced it had selected Safran Electronics & Defense to supply SkyNaute inertial navigation systems for its Generation 6 autonomous, all-electric air taxi.

Based on Safran-patented technology—the HRG Crystal Hemispherical Resonator Gyroscope—SkyNaute combines high performance and reliability, in the most compact form factor on the market. With very high levels of integrity and accuracy, even when GNSS signals are absent or jammed, SkyNaute hybrid inertial navigation system is designed to ensure the precise trajectory of the Generation 6 self-flying air taxi, during all flight phases, leading to an optimum flight safety.