World's first all electric self-flying taxi back in the skies after COVID-19 locked it down

Wisk, the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) company behind the world’s first all-electric, self-flying air taxi, Cora, announced that it has resumed flight testing in both the U.S. and in New Zealand.

The flight tests will evaluate the performance of the aircraft in a real world environment, while collecting data that will help inform the further development, operation, safety features and certification of the aircraft.

“We are excited to resume test flights following a brief pause due to COVID-19,” said Gary Gysin, CEO of Wisk.

“The team’s dedication over the past few months has allowed us to remain focused on critical non-flight areas, such as certification, software development, and operations. This has allowed us to maintain momentum during this unique time. But it’s awesome to be flying again.”

Flight tests had been temporarily paused due to shelter-in-place restrictions resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.

Prior to the pandemic, the company had completed more than 1300 test flights expanding the flight envelope, providing data for model, design, and requirements updates, and maturing procedures to operate the aircraft safely and efficiently.

“Our first priority has always been safety, both for our employees and in the development of our aircraft,” said Carl Engel, Director, Flight Test for Wisk.

“As we return to flight testing, we have implemented a number of procedures and social distancing measures based on best practices and recommendations from local and national health and government organizations.”

The Cora aircraft is a self-flying, eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) air taxi, which aims to make it possible for passengers to skip the gridlock traffic and get to their destination faster.

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area and New Zealand, Wisk is an independent company backed by The Boeing Company and Kitty Hawk.

With a decade of experience and over 1000 test flights, Wisk is hoping to shape the future of daily commutes and urban travel, safely and sustainably.

Image credit: Wisk Aerospace