First flights of eVTOLs are so common these days that they're about as newsworthy as the announcement of a new flavor of potato chip. However, the Wisk flight is different because it is a Gen-6 certification model that's claimed to be the first-ever candidate for FAA type certification of an autonomous, passenger-carrying eVTOL in the United States.

Wisk has been developing its eVTOL for over a decade, with five previous iterations – each one signifying a distinct generation of development from proof-of-concept to pre-production prototype for FAA certification.

It also differs from competitors like Joby or Archer in that it's an autonomy-first design. That is, where other prospective air taxis have conventional flight controls, the Wisk version does away with the joystick and pedals (in fact, the pilot as well) in favor of a "Multi-Vehicle Supervisor" model where a ground-based human watches over up to three aircraft at a time. According to the company, this not only reduces costs, it also improves safety by reducing human error.

This milestone is also significant in that it moves the program from the mock-up and design phase into an active flight test campaign. The ultimate goal is entry into commercial service, with target launch markets in Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami.

Enjoying a cruise speed of 120 knots (138 mph, 222 km/h) and an operating altitude of up to 4,000 ft (1,220 m), it can carry up to four passengers plus luggage and transition from vertical to horizontal wing-borne flight in about 30 seconds thanks to its six dedicated lift rotors and six convertible lift/horizontal thrust rotors in front of the wing. Spanning 50 ft (15 m), the wing has a high configuration for greater stability and passenger visibility. Meanwhile, the redesigned "cross-tail" empennage provides better weight optimization and center of gravity control than previous iterations.

Flight control is autonomous, though not true AI, so it is not capable of real-time problem solving. Instead, the avionics uses logic-driven, procedural-based algorithms combined with a full suite of Detect-and-Avoid (DAA) sensors and navigation systems to meet a one-in-a-billion failure probability comparable to commercial airline safety standards.