Joby Aviation Achieves Milestone with First Autonomous Cross-Country Flight
In a significant achievement for general aviation, Joby Aviation (NYSE: JOBY) has successfully completed what it terms as the first-ever fully autonomous flight across the United States. A modified Cessna Caravan, equipped with Joby’s J208 autonomy technology, flew a remarkable 3,199 miles without any control inputs from the onboard safety pilot. The journey began at Buchanan Field Airport in Concord, California, and concluded at Dare County Regional Airport in the Outer Banks, North Carolina.
The aircraft autonomously managed taxiing, takeoffs, route navigation, and landings throughout the multi-stop journey. It was remotely supervised from locations as distant as 2,323 miles away, including Joby’s Autonomy Headquarters in California and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. The route included stops at Phoenix, Fort Worth, and Shaw AFB, where the dual-use defense and logistics capabilities were demonstrated.
In a symbolic gesture, the aircraft performed a historic low pass over the First Flight Monument near Kitty Hawk — the very site where the Wright Brothers first took flight in 1903. Joby’s founder and CEO, JoeBen Bevirt, stated that this milestone proves that autonomy technology can be utilized for commercial freight, emergency response, and defense logistics. This opens up a significant second revenue stream alongside the company’s eVTOL air taxi program.
Source: UAS Weekly — Joby Completes Historic Fully Autonomous Cross-Country Flight Across the United States