Joby Flew 3,100 Miles Across America Without a Pilot

Joby Aviation flew a modified Cessna Caravan 3,100 miles across the United States. A pilot was on board to meet regulatory requirements, but the aircraft took off, navigated, and landed on its own. Remote oversight was conducted from Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.

Joby is known as a developer of urban air taxis, but this flight points in a different direction. The pattern of "launch it, watch remotely, step in only when something goes wrong" is how I work with agents every day. Here that same pattern is applied to an aircraft flying 3,100 miles. A $17 million Air Force contract and the $500 million acquisition of defense company Resonant Sciences signal where the company is heading: military logistics and medical delivery, not urban air taxis.