Joby Aviation completes first autonomous flight across US

Joby Aviation announced that its autonomous J208 aircraft completed the first autonomous flight across the United States, traveling 3,199 miles from California to North Carolina with zero control inputs from the onboard safety pilot. The converted Cessna Caravan departed from Concord, California, on September 7 and concluded its journey at Dare County Regional Airport on North Carolina's Outer Banks on September 14. During the multi-stop journey, the aircraft autonomously handled taxiing, takeoffs, route navigation, and landings. It made stops at Phoenix Deer Valley, Alliance Airport in Fort Worth, Texas, and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. The flight was remotely supervised from Joby's Autonomy Headquarters in California and Shaw Air Force Base, at distances of up to 2,323 miles. The autonomous system demonstrated real-time decision-making by rerouting around severe weather and thunderstorms during the trip. It also integrated into operations at Phoenix Deer Valley, described as one of the nation's busiest general aviation airports, despite having no prior familiarity with the location.