Acquired by Boeing in 2023, Wisk Aero aims to launch the nation’s first passenger-carrying, self-flying air taxi service by the end of the decade. But without a pilot on board, Wisk will need an air traffic management system capable of communicating with the aircraft itself—and it just found one.
The manufacturer on Monday announced the acquisition of SkyGrid, a third-party service provider specializing in advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft, including uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) like Wisk’s Generation 6 air taxi. Operating on SkyGrid’s real-time, data-driven platform, the four-seat Gen 6 could fly alongside crewed aircraft in congested urban airspace, such as in the Greater Houston area—one of its potential launch markets.
Self-flying aircraft complicate air traffic management, which for crewed models relies heavily on vocal communication. Of course, that isn’t possible without a pilot. The FAA and private firms such as SkyGrid are developing a new layer of aviation safety called UAS traffic management (UTM) specifically for these models.
“To unlock the full potential of advanced air mobility, we must also have advanced airspace,” Sebastian Vigneron, appointed CEO of Wisk in May, said in remarks accompanying the announcement.
Wisk is not a typical AAM company. Unlike competitors such as Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation—who are also developing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) designs—it aims to fly autonomously from the jump.
The company’s autonomy system—which it has agreed to provide and integrate on Archer’s Midnight in the future—comprises on-aircraft technology paired with remote supervisors, who can intervene if needed. It leverages flight-proven systems like autopilot and precision navigation, with a few novel capabilities such as detect and avoid.
With a tougher path to type certification, Wisk may arrive late to the party. Joby and Archer plan to begin commercial passenger service as soon as this year. Wisk expects to introduce the Gen 6 a few years later. Last year, it acquired software verification and validation firm Verocel to help accelerate the process.
According to Wisk, though, autonomy has a few key advantages—chief among them scale. It could allow the company to avoid pilot shortages, lighten the maintenance load, and create more room for passengers.
With a range of 78 nm with reserves and 110-120 knots cruise speed, the Gen 6 will fly passengers in suburban areas such as Sugar Land, Texas, near Houston. It could also fly in cities such as Brisbane, Australia, where Wisk hopes to ferry passengers around the 2032 Olympic Games. Capable of taking off vertically—but quietly—like a helicopter and cruising on fixed wings like a plane, the air taxi won’t need a runway to operate.
Densely populated, skyscraper-laden areas pose a particularly steep challenge for UAS—which is where SkyGrid comes in.
The company’s platform aggregates data, infrastructure, and traffic to create a digital model of the sky. Just as air traffic control uses radar data to direct pilots, the system uses that model to help uncrewed aircraft make decisions and plan routes. SkyGrid also works directly with air navigation service providers like the FAA to ensure AAM operations are compatible with local airspace restrictions and clear of other traffic.
Wisk could offer those UTM services to Joby, Archer, and other operators. It said SkyGrid will “continue to support a targeted and strategic external customer base.”
“By deploying our comprehensive airspace integration capabilities with Wisk’s autonomous eVTOL technology, we are paving a path to safe, efficient, and increasingly autonomous operations for all,” said Jia Xu, CEO of SkyGrid.
Wisk also has a five-year agreement with NASA to study how the Gen 6 and other self-flying models could fly IFR in busy airspace. The FAA, meanwhile, is overseeing trials of UTM systems for delivery drones near Dallas-Fort Worth.
Those efforts could help develop automated flight rules (AFR), which akin to VFR or IFR would define operations without a pilot. Wisk described AFR as a “crucial component for the safe and efficient integration of autonomous aircraft into the national airspace.”
Like this story? We think you’ll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.
