Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company, Wisk Aero has unveiled a four-passenger autonomous self-flying air taxi. It will be the World’s first all-electric air taxi designed for air transport.
Though the focus is on self-flying the company in a statement said that the Generation 6 Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft is designed to be supervised by humans, who can take over the vehicle mid-flight if necessary.
The aircraft features six front rotors with five blades each and these blades tilt either horizontally or vertically. The six rear rotors have two blades each and are fixed in a vertical position.
Wisk’s Gen 6 aircraft has a cruising speed of 120 knots, a 90-mile range, can reach altitudes of 2,500 to 4,000 feet and has a nearly 50-foot wingspan. In addition to the four passengers the vehicle also has ample storage for luggage and personal carry-on items.
The aircraft is designed keeping accessibility in mind as the user interface can be used by people with hearing, vision and other impairments. The aircraft will also have amenities like WiFi and charging points.
The company will put forward this air taxi for the U.S. Federal Administration type certificate. This is one of the certifications that the aviation company needs to secure before they launch a commercial service. This means that the aircraft has met all of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) design and safety standards.
Before Wisk can launch the air taxi as a service they need to get the production certification and an air carrier certification. They are likely to face more hurdles before they can officially get their air taxi in the market.
The company had earlier said that within five years of certification they intend to operate one of the industry’s largest AAM fleets across 20 cities.
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