USAF Pilot Conducts First Remotely Piloted Government eVTOL Flight

Monday, January 24, 2022 at 06:30 PM ET

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Parker Downey, with Kitty Hawk, and Air Force Reserve Capt. Terrence McKenna, manually operate the Heaviside as external pilots through all phases of vertical lift and fixed-wing flight at the Kitty Hawk Corporation’s facility in Palo Alto, Calif. The AFWERX Agility Prime program took another step forward in December with the first government remotely piloted flight of an eVTOL aircraft. [Photo: U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

A U.S. Air Force pilot successfully completed the first government flight of a remotely piloted electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft during a training exercise.
The training was a collaboration between Kitty Hawk and the Air Force's AFWERX Agility Prime program, focused on evaluating and improving eVTOL operation and gaining pilot intuition for future operational employment.
The Kitty Hawk Heaviside eVTOL, capable of 180 mph and a 100-mile range, demonstrates potential for various government uses beyond commercial air taxis, such as transporting personnel or delivering cargo.

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A U.S. Air Force pilot recently successfully flew an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft during remote pilot in control (rPIC) training, marking the first government flight of a remotely piloted eVTOL, the Air Force said.

“A crucial thing that the RC controller allows you to do that a completely unmanned or a completely ground-controlled station based approach does not [gain] that intuition about the flight characteristics of the aircraft that are so important [for operational employment].”