2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

<p>News, issues, personnel, equipment and developments about air traffic management.</p>


<p>News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.</p>


<p>News and information on safety procedures and concerns.</p>


Airservices Australia wants to work through plans to launch remotely piloted operations

Australia's ATC Agency Prepares to Integrate Autonomous eVTOL Aircraft

<p>News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.</p>


Straight talk about an industry that is making a lot of promises

Cutting Through the eVTOL Aircraft Hype With Independent Expert Sergio Cecutta

Wisk Aero is aiming straight for autonomous flight

Why Boeing's Wisk Aero Believes Pilotless eVTOL Air Taxis Are Safer and More Viable

<p>New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.</p>


<p>News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.</p>


Wisk Aero plans to build vertiports with Skyports Infrastructure

Southeast Queensland Prepares for eVTOL Air Taxi Services

<p>News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.</p>


<p>News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.</p>


Some competitors are running low on cash, and some big dark horses await their moment

Race to Market Heats Up For eVTOL Aircraft Pioneers

<p>News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.</p>


The eVTOL aircraft developer is building on a partnership with Houston suburb Sugar Land

Houston and Wisk Expand Plans for Autonomous eVTOL Air Services

A vertiport at the city's airport could be part of a network across the Greater Houston area

Sugar Land Set To be Launch Pad for Wisk's eVTOL Air Taxi Services

Kerry Lynch

Company will use Generation 6 for certification testing

Wisk Progressing Toward First Flight of Gen 6 eVTOL Aircraft

<p>Following a two-week flight test campaign in New Zealand, Wisk Aero says it has successfully demonstrated that autonomous, uncrewed aircraft can safely integrate with regular piloted aircraft in controlled airspace. The California-based eVTOL aircraft developer and its local partners conducted a series of flight trials between November 17 and December 1 to evaluate how pilotless aircraft flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) can safely operate under instrument flight rules (IFR) in controlled airspace, where vehicles must comply with air traffic control.&nbsp;</p>
<p>“The successful completion of this phase of testing demonstrates that it is possible to safely integrate autonomous aircraft into controlled airspace that is shared with piloted aircraft,” said Catherine MacGowan, Wisk’s vice president of air operations and the Asia-Pacific region. “The processes, data, and learnings from these trial flights will help shape the future of advanced air mobility and the broader aviation industry.”</p>
<p>The flight trials took place at the indigenous-run Tāwhaki National Aerospace Center near Christchurch and involved several government and industry partners, including New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority, uncrewed aerial systems (UAS)&nbsp;operator Insitu Pacific, and air navigation service provider Airways New Zealand, as well as Airways International’s uncrewed traffic management&nbsp;system, called AirShare. For these flight demonstrations, the partners used uncrewed aircraft provided by Insitu Pacific, a Boeing subsidiary that operates drones for defense and civilian applications in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. Wisk is also a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boeing.</p>
<p>“This series of flights, remotely piloted by our Insitu Pacific operators, puts into action the significant planning and close collaboration we have undertaken to support Wisk, and their partners the NZ CAA and Airways NZ, in this evolutionary program,” said Insitu Pacific managing director Andrew Duggan. “The successful demonstration serves as a foundation towards fielding a safe concept of operations for autonomous flight in non-segregated airspace into the future.”</p>
<h3 class="subheading"><strong>Wisk Prepares to Fly Sixth-Generation eVTOL in 2024</strong></h3>
<h3 class="subheading">Wisk is developing an autonomous four-passenger air taxi and has conducted more than 1,000 hours of flight testing with its various prototypes over the years, but that prototype did not participate in these airspace integration trials. The company has been actively flight testing&nbsp;its&nbsp;fifth-generation eVTOL prototype, a two-seat aircraft called Cora, since 2019.&nbsp;Last year Wisk unveiled the sixth-generation production version of the aircraft it&nbsp;intends to certify for commercial use, and that aircraft is on track to&nbsp;<a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-10-20/wisk-reports-generation-6-autonomous-evtol-aircraft-track-flight-testing">make its first flights&nbsp;in 2024</a>.</h3>
<p>The company&nbsp;has been developing and testing autonomous flight technologies&nbsp;in New Zealand since 2019 as part of its involvement with the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-03-30/wisk-prepares-next-phase-cora-flight-trials-new-zealand">Airspace Integration Trial Program</a>, a government initiative that aims to foster innovation in autonomous flight while maintaining and developing rigorous safety standards.&nbsp;In addition to its certification efforts in the U.S. and New Zealand, the company has also been leading efforts to introduce eVTOL air taxi operations <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-06-08/wisk-expands-autonomous-evtol-operations-plans-australia">in Australia</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-05-09/wisk-and-japan-airlines-partner-bring-autonomous-air-taxi-flights-japan">Japan</a>.</p>
<p>Wisk officials have so far refrained from speculating about&nbsp;how long it will take to certify its autonomous air taxi, citing the lack of a clear path to certification for the new technology. To address the lack of standards and regulations for autonomy in aviation, the company has published multiple documents detailing its proposed <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-brief/2022-04-11/new-concept-operations-spells-out-how-autonomous-evtol-vehicles-could-operate">concept&nbsp;of operations for autonomous aircraft</a> as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-09-21/boeing-and-wisk-issue-concept-operations-urban-air-mobility">urban air mobility networks</a>.&nbsp;</p>
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Science & Technology Editor

Hanneke Weitering

Wisk Leads Autonomous Flight Trials in New Zealand's Controlled Airspace

<p>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&nbsp;of what it refers to as its Generation 6 aircraft is now under construction.&nbsp;</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>According to Wisk, which is now a subsidiary of Boeing, it has already&nbsp;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,&nbsp;fitted with a luggage compartment in the nose with room for four roller bags and passenger conveniences, including air conditioning and USB charging ports.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>The all-electric aircraft features 12 main rotors, including six on the forward section of the wing that tilt&nbsp;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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>The aircraft itself features triple-redundant systems and advanced sensor technology, and it can fly with multiple motors inoperative.&nbsp;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.</p>
<p>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.”</p>
<p>In June, Wisk announced the aircraft&nbsp;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&nbsp;that the aircraft flies a precise trajectory during all phases of flight.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


Wisk Aero

News

Australia's ATC Agency Prepares to Integrate Autonomous eVTOL Aircraft

Cutting Through the eVTOL Aircraft Hype With Independent Expert Sergio Cecutta

Why Boeing's Wisk Aero Believes Pilotless eVTOL Air Taxis Are Safer and More Viable

Southeast Queensland Prepares for eVTOL Air Taxi Services

Race to Market Heats Up For eVTOL Aircraft Pioneers

Houston and Wisk Expand Plans for Autonomous eVTOL Air Services

Sugar Land Set To be Launch Pad for Wisk's eVTOL Air Taxi Services

Wisk Progressing Toward First Flight of Gen 6 eVTOL Aircraft

Wisk Leads Autonomous Flight Trials in New Zealand's Controlled Airspace

Wisk Reports Generation 6 Autonomous eVTOL Aircraft is On Track For Flight Testing in 2024

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