Joby Aviation Completes First Autonomous Cross-Country Flight

Joby Aviation completed a 3,199-mile autonomous flight across the United States, traveling from Buchanan Field Airport in Concord, California, to Dare County Regional Airport in North Carolina. Using a converted Cessna 208 Grand Caravan, the aircraft performed all taxiing, takeoffs, navigation, and landings without any control inputs from the onboard safety pilot.

The journey included stopovers in Phoenix, Arizona, at Deer Valley Airport; Fort Worth, Texas, at Alliance Airport; and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. The flight was remotely supervised from Joby's headquarters in Santa Cruz, California, and Shaw Air Force Base, with supervision occurring from distances up to 2,323 miles. During the trip, the aircraft demonstrated the ability to integrate into high-density airspace and reroute around severe weather in real time, concluding with a low pass near the First Flight Monument at Kitty Hawk.

Joby acquired the autonomy technology through its 2024 purchase of Xwing and intends to integrate the system into future electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The flight is part of a month-long Electric Skies campaign and a 10-state tour supporting the Federal Aviation Administration's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program. The company indicated the technology has potential applications for commercial freight, medical transport, disaster response, and defense logistics. The aircraft is currently conducting a westbound return trip to California.