Joby Aviation says a converted Cessna Caravan equipped with its autonomous flight system has completed a 3,199-mile trip across the U.S. without any control inputs from a safety pilot onboard the aircraft. According to a company release, the eastbound flight began at Buchanan Field Airport in Concord, California, and ended at Dare County Regional Airport in North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
Autonomous Operations
During the trip, the Caravan autonomously handled taxiing, takeoffs, route navigation and landings. Although a safety pilot was onboard the aircraft, Joby said the aircraft was remotely supervised from its autonomy headquarters in California and from Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. Remote supervision occurred from distances of up to 2,323 miles.
The route included stops in Phoenix, Fort Worth, Texas, and Shaw Air Force Base before reaching North Carolina. Joby said the aircraft operated at Phoenix Deer Valley Airport and changed its routing around severe weather and thunderstorms during the trip.
“This journey across America offers a glimpse into a new era of aviation,” Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt said in the company release. “Autonomy has an important role to play in the future of flight, allowing us to connect remote communities, deliver critical supplies, respond faster to disasters, support military operations, and keep pilots out of harm’s way.”
More Flights Planned
Joby acquired the autonomy technology through its 2024 purchase of Xwing. The company says the system has accumulated more than 400 flights and 800 automated flight hours in controlled and uncontrolled airspace. The Caravan will now make a westbound return trip that is scheduled to include stops in Raleigh, North Carolina; Fredericksburg, Virginia; Louisville, Kentucky; Wichita, Kansas; Oklahoma City; Salt Lake City; and Portland, Oregon.
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