FOCUS – Aviation history made: pilotless aircraft flies from one U.S. coast to the other

American company Joby Aviation has set a new milestone in aviation history, as one of its aircraft — controlled entirely by the company’s proprietary autonomous technology — has completed the first autonomous coast-to-coast flight in the United States, writes focus.it.

The aircraft covered about 5,150 kilometers, from California to North Carolina, with no need for human intervention in the flight controls. The journey ended near the Outer Banks, in an area very close to Kitty Hawk, where in 1903 the Wright brothers made the first successful powered flight.

The star of this test was a modified Cessna Caravan, capable of autonomously performing taxiing, takeoff, flight, and landing. The aircraft was monitored remotely from Joby Aviation’s headquarters in California and from Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.

An emergency pilot was also on board, but there was no need for his intervention at any point during the journey.

The test, conducted as part of the “Electric Skies 2026” program, included several stops, while the autonomous system had to cope with different airspaces and weather conditions.

At Phoenix Deer Valley, one of the busiest general aviation airports in the U.S., the aircraft managed to operate without prior knowledge of the airport and to recalculate its route in real time to avoid storms and bad weather.

The route began in Concord, California, and continued through Phoenix, Arizona, Fort Worth, Texas, Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina, to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

After landing, the aircraft, identified as J208, made a flyby near the Kitty Hawk monument in honor of brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright.

According to the company, the autonomous technology could in the future be used for cargo transport, medical supplies, emergency operations, disaster relief, and military logistics.

Joby Aviation says the technology has already been tested in more than 400 flights and 800 hours of autonomous flying, in both controlled and uncontrolled airspace.

The system has also been used in several U.S. military exercises. After completing the eastbound journey, the J208 is expected to begin the return trip west, with planned stops in Raleigh, Fredericksburg/Washington DC, Louisville, Wichita, Oklahoma City, and Salt Lake City.