The Texas city of Sugar Land aims to be the first base in a network of eVTOL air taxi services in the Greater Houston area under plans announced this week with Wisk Aero. On February 21, city officials signed a partnership with the Boeing subsidiary to select a location at Sugar Land Regional Airport for a vertiport that could be used by Wisk’s autonomous four-passenger eVTOL aircraft.
According to Wisk, its role in initiating advanced air mobility operations in the city 20 miles southwest of downtown Houston could lay the groundwork for similar facilities to be established in other parts of a metro area that has a population of 7.3 million. The company, which has spent 18 months preparing to launch the partnership, will provide technical leadership, while city officials handle planning, policy work, and community engagement.
“The Greater Houston area is experiencing some of the highest population growth in the country, which calls for new and efficient ways to move across the region,” said Wisk CEO Brian Yutko. “Sugar Land’s strategic location within the Greater Houston region, and its forward-thinking city leadership, make it an ideal partner for us and one that is uniquely positioned as an early leader in the launch of air taxi services. We look forward to working with Sugar Land, local ecosystem stakeholders, and the FAA on both ground and air infrastructure as we bring autonomous air taxi services to the Greater Houston region.”
According to Texas State Representative David Cook, the agreement with Wisk is the sort of public-private partnership envisaged by legislation that recently passed in a bid to position Texas to take a leading role in the adoption of new transportation technology. Sugar Land City Manager Michael Goodrum endorsed that sentiment, saying that he wants the community to be a place “where innovation is second nature, where creativity is encouraged, and where change is embraced.”
Wisk Prepares To Start Flight Testing Generation 6 eVTOL
California-based Wisk is aiming to achieve the first flight of its Generation 6 eVTOL model as it strives for certification of the autonomous aircraft by the end of the decade, Catherine MacGowan, v-p of APAC and air operations, told reporters at the Singapore Airshow this week.
Flying its autonomous air taxi prototypes since 2010—and collecting 255 global patents along the way—Wisk has amassed at least 1,750 flights across five iterations, and “all of that expertise and learning is built into our Generation 6 aircraft,” MacGowan said.
According to the company, there will be space for carry-on and personal items in the four-passenger vehicle. Like helicopters, it will operate at altitudes of around 2,500 to 4,000 feet. It will have a range of 90 miles, including reserves, at speeds of 110 to 120 knots.
Wisk intends for a multi-vehicle supervisor to monitor the autonomous flights and work with air traffic control. Plans call for certification of the aircraft for IFR operations.
While Wisk is targeting the end of the decade for certification, achieving that goal will depend on acceptance from the authorities. The company has worked with the FAA on autonomy as well as with other authorities and maintains that all have such operations in their plans.
“This is the direction the industry is moving in autonomy,” MacGowan said. “It allows for safety, allows for predictability, and allows the scale as we start to see the kinds of numbers of aircraft that are projected for Asia and around the world. This makes it a more affordable and accessible platform. That is why we chose, with Boeing support, to go straight to an automated aircraft.”
