See inside the Wisk air taxi backed by Boeing that has no onboard pilot
Brady MacDonald
Wisk Generation 6 air taxiWisk Aero
- The goal of air taxis is simple: fly above vehicle traffic to the office, dinner, or airport.
- The Wisk Gen6 has a top speed of 138 mph and a range of 90 miles.
The race is on to see which air taxi will be the first to market and Boeing's Wisk hopes to cross the finish line first ahead of Uber, Airbus, Honda, and a host of other competitors.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
The Wisk Aero Generation 6 is the first candidate for Federal Aviation Administration certification of a self-flying, passenger-ready electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle, according to the Boeing-backed company.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
The goal of air taxis is everyday flights for everybody that fly above vehicle traffic and get you to the office, dinner, or the airport faster. Wisk's price target – $3 per passenger, per mile – is intended to rival airport shuttles and ride-sharing services.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
The Advanced Air Mobility company was the first in the US to successfully fly an autonomous air taxi.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
Wisk hopes that history will help it stay ahead of competitors like Delta Air Lines-backed Joby Aviation, United Airlines-backed Eve Mobility, and American Airlines-affiliated Vertical Aerospace.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
Wisk's four-passenger eVTOL air taxi flies autonomously with human supervisors on the ground that can intervene if needed.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
The lack of a human pilot in the cockpit could take some getting used to for early adapters.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
Each passenger has their own “Help” call button on the ceiling – in case of emergency or a simple question.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
A simplified design with fewer moving parts improves safety while redundant systems with no single point of failure reduce the chance of an accident to one in a billion, according to Wisk.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
High-tech decision-making software tied to sensors on the air taxi is designed to detect and avoid near misses and crashes.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
With a top speed of 138 mph, the Wisk Gen6 has a range of 90 miles at an altitude of 2,500 to 4,000 feet above the ground. The electric air taxi can recharge in 15 minutes.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
Wisk has settled on a distinctive and proprietary 50-foot wingspan design with 12 propellers – six in the front and six in the rear.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
The raised wing design with extended prop booms has allowed Wisk to increase stability, improve propulsion, and reduce in-cabin and exterior noise.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
The rotating front propellers tilt to shift from lift to thrust.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
The skyward-facing fixed rear propellers help improve range, control, and energy efficiency.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
The Wisk G6 opts for helicopter-style skids rather than airplane-style wheels.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
Inside the cabin, the Wisk Gen6 has four automotive-style seats – two more than the Gen5.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
Each seat has a four-point harness seat belt.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
Interior consoles in the front and back rows of the WiFi-enabled air taxi feature mobile device charging docks. There are even cupholders.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
Passengers use a touch screen to go through a pre-flight checklist and…
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
… track their flight progress.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
The “frunk” trunk in the front of the air taxi…
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
…stows four carry-on suitcases for trips to and from the airport or any short-range vacation destination.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
Wisk has been perfecting its air taxi for 12 years with the Gen1 through Gen6 models logging more than 1,600 successful test flights without an accident.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
The Gen4 and Gen5 Wisk air taxis have been in the air since 2017.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
Wisk’s proof-of-concept Gen1 eVTOL that took off in 2011 was small enough to fit in a parking space.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
The San Francisco Bay Area-based company merged in 2017 with Kitty Hawk Corp. – the air taxi rival financed by Google co-founder Larry Page that just called it quits a few weeks ago.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
Boeing doubled down on Wisk with an additional $450 million investment earlier this year.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
Wisk hopes Boeing's 100-plus years of aviation experience and manufacturing scale will give the air taxi maker an advantage in the ultra-competitive eVTOL market.
Wisk air taxi Wisk Aero
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