Wisk Aero says it is on track to start flying the latest version of its four-seat autonomous eVTOL aircraft in 2024. At this week's NBAA-BACE business aviation show in Las Vegas, the company's chief marketing officer Rebecca Tanner said that the first prototype of what it refers to as its Generation 6 aircraft is now under construction.
Over the last decade, the first five generations of Wisk's flight-test vehicles have amassed 1,600 flight hours. The Generation 5 aircraft continues to be used for fully autonomous flight testing and public demonstration flights, including earlier this year at EAA AirVenture. During October it has been performing test flights in the Los Angeles area from Long Beach Airport and was participated in the Festival of Flight event there.
According to Wisk, which is now a subsidiary of Boeing, it has already applied for its FAA type certificate and was well on its way to completing the G1 and G2 requirements of that process. At the NBAA show, the company displayed a mock-up of the Generation 6 vehicle, fitted with a luggage compartment in the nose with room for four roller bags and passenger conveniences, including air conditioning and USB charging ports.
Tanner explained that performance goals for the all-electric aircraft include a range of 90 miles, a cruising speed of 100 to 120 mph, full fast charging in 15 minutes, and a service ceiling of 4,000 feet. While the aircraft will be IFR certified, it will not be approved for flights into known icing conditions.
The all-electric aircraft features 12 main rotors, including six on the forward section of the wing that tilt up and down for takeoff and landing. It is also equipped with skid gear, as opposed to wheels, to save weight. Unlike the Generation 5 aircraft, it does not feature an aft propulsor, with thrust coming from the forward rotors.
According to Tanner, the new eVTOL prototype will be flown by a ground-based “remote vehicle supervisor” and passengers would be able to proactively communicate with Wisk ground personnel during flights via a button and individual touchscreens at each seat location. Passengers would be assisted onto and off the aircraft, with Wisk itself planning to be the sole operator of the vehicle, at least in the early stages of commercial operation.
The aircraft itself features triple-redundant systems and advanced sensor technology, and it can fly with multiple motors inoperative. Tanner said Wisk is building its own air-cooled motors and drivetrain components for the aircraft, and its cabin would be rapidly reconfigurable with possible applications for cargo and air ambulance.
The Gen 6 prototype aircraft will be built at the company’s main facility in Mountain View, California. Tanner shared that Wisk would have an announcement regarding the location of a serial production facility within the coming months, but it will not be in Silicon Valley. She added that Wisk is aiming to begin commercial service within the decade and anticipated production volumes “in the thousands.”
In June, Wisk announced the aircraft will use Safran’s SkyNaute inertial navigation system. Safran based the SkyNaute system on its HRG Crystal Hemispherical Gyroscope, and the French company says it is the most compact system of its type, which is a significant attribute in the context of small eVTOL aircraft. Even when global navigation satellite systems are jammed, SkyNaute’s hybrid inertial navigation system ensures that the aircraft flies a precise trajectory during all phases of flight.
