Air taxi startup Wisk Aero has unveiled its sixth-generation aircraft, an all-electric four-seater that can fly without a pilot. The Boeing-backed company said it is seeking permission from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to carry passengers as part of a commercial air taxi service.
Wisk, which was formed in 2019 as a joint venture between Boeing and Kitty Hawk, the recently shuttered flying taxi company funded by Google co-founder Larry Page, is in the running to become the first so-called advanced air mobility company to gets a green light from the FAA for testing with passengers, The Verge wrote on its website.
Wisk claims its sixth-generation aircraft is the first electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to apply for type approval.
According to FAA rules, airlines must obtain three types of certification before they can begin commercial service.
A type license would mean that the aircraft meets all FAA design and safety standards; the production license may mean the start of production of the aircraft; and the air carrier license means that the company can officially provide commercial air taxi services.
Wisk's aircraft has six front rotors on its two wings, each consisting of five blades that can be tilted horizontally or vertically, and is equipped with six rear rotors, each consisting of two blades and operating in a vertical position. According to the company, the plane has a cruising speed of 220 kilometers per hour, a range of 140 kilometers, and can fly between 760 and 1,200 meters above the ground.
Wisk aims to one day provide a cross-city air taxi service that can be called with an app, similar to Uber or Lyft.
The vehicles are planned to fly with an autopilot system, controlled by a human via remote access.
In theory, the aircraft would take off from and land on so-called vertiports located on top of buildings. The company said in a statement that it will launch the air taxi service within the next five years, and by that time it plans to make 14 million flights a year in about 20 markets around the world.
There have been many demonstrations of battery-powered flight, but there is still no commercial electric aircraft anywhere in the world.
(Source: autokalauz.co.hu; hirado.hu | Image: pixabay.com)