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. 

“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.”

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) operator Insitu Pacific, and air navigation service provider Airways New Zealand, as well as Airways International’s uncrewed traffic management 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.

“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.”

Wisk Prepares to Fly Sixth-Generation eVTOL in 2024

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 its fifth-generation eVTOL prototype, a two-seat aircraft called Cora, since 2019. Last year Wisk unveiled the sixth-generation production version of the aircraft it intends to certify for commercial use, and that aircraft is on track to make its first flights in 2024.

The company has been developing and testing autonomous flight technologies in New Zealand since 2019 as part of its involvement with the Airspace Integration Trial Program, a government initiative that aims to foster innovation in autonomous flight while maintaining and developing rigorous safety standards. 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 in Australia and Japan.

Wisk officials have so far refrained from speculating about 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 concept of operations for autonomous aircraft as well as urban air mobility networks.