Wisk unveils first flying Generation 6 prototype aircraft under construction
December 23, 2024
Wisk Aero has released the first images of its upcoming aircraft under construction, with the distinctive yellow fuselage appearing largely inkeeping with the mockup’s suggested configuration. Apparent deviations seem to include a rear door opening larger than that proposed on the sixth-gen mockup, with the new model also featuring an additional aperture towards the rear of the fuselage (potentially an access hatch).
“In 2024, we rolled up our sleeves. From Mountain View to Montreal, our dedicated team worked together to build our first Generation 6 aircraft,” teased Wisk on social media. “We’re incredibly proud of all that we’ve accomplished this year and for what comes next. In 2025, we FLY!”
Speaking at Farnborough International Airshow alongside the newly-unveiled sixth-gen mockup, “we’re pretty heads-down on the building and testing phase,” CEO Brian Yutko confirmed to Aerospace Global News in July. At the time, the wing of the first of two prototypes was in final assembly at Wisk’s Mountain View, California facility, with the company anticipating a first flight “at the end of the year” – a deadline it will now miss.
Wisk’s four-seat eVTOL employs lift-and-cruise configuration, with 12 electrically-driven propellers mounted atop high wings. With a cruising speed of between 110-120kts, the craft is projected to fly at between 2,500-4,000 feet above ground level, capable of 90 miles of range (with reserves). Unlike the entirety of its Western competitors, Wisk’s eVTOL will be remotely-piloted, albeit with human oversight.
Building on previous iterations of the concept, Wisk’s sixth-generation craft was first unveiled in October 2022, building on what then-CEO Gary Gysin described as “the culmination of years of hard work from our industry-leading team, learnings from our previous generations of aircraft commitment from our investors, and the evolution and advancement of technology”.
Wisk Aero can trace its lineage back to 2010, when Google’s co-founder Larry Page helped to fund Zee Aero, who later merged with Kitty Hawk before the resulting Wisk became a fully-owned subsidiary of Boeing in 2022. In 2014, Wisk became one of the first eVTOL companies to complete a full transition of its early prototype, with the current configuration representing the first autonomous candidate for type certification by the FAA.
