Joby Aviation has pulled off an entirely autonomous, 3,199-mile flight from the West to the East coast of the United States.
The firm said it is the first time such a feat has been achieved, with the aircraft making the journey with zero control inputs from the onboard safety pilot including autonomous taxi, take-off, cruise and landing.
The whole journey was supervised remotely from Joby’s Autonomy Headquarters in California, which was up to 2,323 miles away from the plane at the furthest point.
The aircraft – a converted Cessna Caravan – began the flight at the Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. Joby said the flight demonstrated that its technology can work on pre-existing aircraft not originally designed for full autonomy which could enable it to be deployed relatively quickly throughout the aviation sector.
During the cross-country journey, the aircraft proved its ability to integrate into high-density environments like Phoenix Deer Valley, one of the nation’s busiest general aviation...