Joby Aviation completes reported 3,100-mile autonomous flight across the United States

The short version

• Joby Aviation announced that a converted Cessna Caravan equipped with its autonomous technology flew over 3,100 miles across the United States without a human pilot taking control.[TechCrunch]
• A pilot remained on board for regulatory compliance while operators remotely monitored the flight from Joby's California headquarters and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.[TechCrunch · Engadget]
• The test flight demonstrates Joby's efforts to expand beyond its electric air-taxi business into broader defense and commercial logistics markets.[TechCrunch]
• The aircraft is scheduled to complete a return trip to the West Coast over the next two weeks with multiple planned stops.[TechCrunch]

Key facts

• An aircraft using Joby Aviation's autonomous system flew over 3,100 miles across the United States without manual intervention.[TechCrunch · Engadget]
• A human pilot remained on board during the trip for compliance purposes.[TechCrunch · Engadget]
• The flight was supervised remotely from California and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.[TechCrunch · Engadget]
• Joby's defense initiatives are backed by a $17 million Air Force contract with AFWERX.[TechCrunch]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• Joby Aviation’s 3,100-mile autonomous flight signals its push beyond electric air taxisTechCrunch
• Joby Aviation completed a fully autonomous flight from California to North CarolinaEngadget