4 October 2022
VIDEO The world’s first self-flying, four-seat, all-electric, vertical takeoff and landing air taxi has been unveiled by Wisk Aero and is being put forward for certification in the USA.
It’s the sixth version of Wisk’s journey towards an air taxi, backed by Boeing and the result of more than ten years of development.
Wisk’s ‘Generation 6’ will fly itself, albeit with human oversight, and has been simplified with fewer moving parts, back-up systems and ‘no s9ngle point of failure’ – though that last point can only really be proved through tests ans time.
Gary Gysin, CEO of Wisk, said, “In 2010, we set out to find a way to skip traffic and get to our destination faster. That inspiration evolved into a mission to deliver safe, everyday flight for everyone.
“Over the past 12 years, we’ve pursued that mission through the development of five different generations of full-scale aircraft. Our 6th Generation aircraft is the culmination of years of hard work from our industry-leading team, learnings from our previous generations of aircraft, commitment from our investors, and the evolution and advancement of technology.”
Wisk says it self-flying approach is “core to the company’s overall strategy and a critical element in bringing one of the safest systems to market in aviation”.
Safety features are described as:
The Wisk eVTOL has a total of 12 propellers, six of which tilt in front of the wing and six remain vertical at the rear.
Performance figures issued by Wisk suggest a cruise speed of 120kt, range of 90 miles with reserves and an operating altitude of 2,500 to 4,000 ft above ground.
The price target is $3 per passenger per mile. For comparison, the official Transport for London figure for a London cab is £3.05 per mile though that’s for the whole cab.
