GoKawiilJoby Aviation flies converted Cessna autonomously coast-to-coast across the US
Joby Aviation says it completed the first fully autonomous cross-country flight in the US, sending a modified Cessna Caravan 3,199 miles from California's Buchanan Field Airport to Dare County Regional Airport in North Carolina without pilot control inputs. The aircraft handled taxiing, takeoff, cruising and landing on its own, while a human monitor rode along and Joby staff supervised remotely from California and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. The plane will now fly back west with stops in Raleigh, Salt Lake City and Portland.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Joby is primarily known for developing piloted electric air taxis it's testing in New York ahead of a planned public launch, so this autonomous milestone signals a broader ambition to sell its flight-control software for existing aircraft, not just its own vehicles. That opens potential markets in cargo delivery, emergency response and military logistics, areas where removing the pilot could cut costs and expand operations beyond crowded urban air-taxi routes.
- Joby flew a converted Cessna Caravan autonomously for 3,199 miles across the US.
- The system handled taxiing, takeoff, cruise and landing without pilot input, though a human monitored onboard.
- Joby plans to license the autonomy tech for freight, emergency response and defense uses beyond its air-taxi business.
Source: engadget.com — Jackson Chen, 2026-09-20
Published there as: “Joby Aviation completed a fully autonomous flight from California to North Carolina”
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