🛩️ Self-flying plane crosses the US without the pilot needing to step in

🛩️ Self-flying plane crosses the US without the pilot needing to step in

An aircraft equipped with Joby Aviation's autonomy technology flew more than 3,100 miles across the United States without the pilot on board needing to intervene at any point. The aircraft handled taxiing, takeoff, navigation and landing on its own throughout the journey.

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  • An aircraft equipped with Joby Aviation's autonomy technology flew more than 3,100 miles across the United States without the pilot on board needing to intervene at any point.
  • The aircraft handled taxiing, takeoff, navigation and landing on its own throughout the journey.
  • The technology can be retrofitted onto many conventional aircraft and used for medical transport, disaster response, freight and defense.

The aircraft flew the entire route on its own

An aircraft equipped with Joby Aviation's autonomy technology has flown more than 3,100 miles across the United States. The pilot on board did not need to intervene at any point during the flight. The company announced this on Friday.

Joby describes the trip as the first-ever autonomous flight across the United States. The aircraft taxied, took off, navigated and landed on its own. The flight was remotely supervised from Joby's headquarters in California and from Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.

The pilot was on board for compliance. According to Joby, the aircraft performed the entire operation autonomously.

A converted Cessna

Joby used a converted Cessna Caravan aircraft for the trip. The company says the flight shows that the technology can handle different environments and missions. These include medical transport, disaster response and defense logistics.

The journey is not over. Over the next two weeks, the aircraft will make its way back to the West Coast. Along the way it will stop in several cities, including Louisville, Kentucky, and Salt Lake City.

Technology that fits many aircraft

Joby is best known for its electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOLs. They will be used as air taxis for short trips in urban areas. The company has spent years seeking type certification for them from the Federal Aviation Administration, the FAA.

The autonomy stack is designed to be retrofitted onto a wide range of conventional aircraft. Joby plans to first bring to market a regional airframe equipped with the technology. It could be used for both defense missions and commercial freight transport. The effort has been supported by a 17 million dollar Air Force contract with AFWERX.

A growing defense business

Joby has a long-standing relationship with the U.S. Department of Defense. In August, the company acquired Resonant Sciences for 500 million dollars in cash and stock. Resonant Sciences is based in Ohio and makes radio frequency and sensor systems.

The company is now part of a dedicated defense business within Joby. Its projects include the development of turbine-electric and hydrogen-electric aircraft, as well as the autonomy technology stack.

Last year, Joby also signed an agreement with defense contractor L3Harris Technologies. Together they will explore a new class of aircraft: a gas-turbine hybrid vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that can fly autonomously.

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