Wisk Aero autonomously flew its fifth-generation “Cora” eVTOL technology demonstrator at EAA AirVenture on Tuesday. The aircraft made several passes in front of the airshow crowd line and transitioned from hover to wing-borne flight four times. The unmanned flight also included multiple maneuvers, among them hover and 360-degree pedal turns.
This was the first public demonstration of the Wisk fifth-generation aircraft, and the flight was monitored by Wisk controllers in a mobile ground station at the show site in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
“This demonstration showcases the state of readiness for autonomous technology and electric propulsion,” said Wisk CEO Brian Yutko. “Combined with the progress we’re making on type certification for our sixth-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.” A mock-up of the sixth-generation aircraft is on display this week in the Wisk booth at AirVenture.
“We’ve shared something that is really special," said Jim Tighe, Wisk's chief technology officer. "For the first time, we have publicly demonstrated fully autonomous flight, conducted by an all-electric, fly-by-wire, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. There was no pilot on board, no pilot controls in the aircraft, and no stick-and-rudder on the ground. The entire flight was operated with the push of a button.”
The Oshkosh demonstration flight adds to the company’s history of firsts, including the world’s first full transition of an eVTOL aircraft (first-generation aircraft); the world’s first piloted flight of a fly-by-wire, all-electric, human-rated aircraft (second-generation, 2015); and the world’s first piloted full transition flight of a human-rated eVTOL aircraft (third-generation, 2017).