Crewless Cessna makes history with first cross-country US flight
Joby Aviation flew an autonomous single-engine Cessna Caravan to complete the first cross‑country flight across the United States without a human pilot, covering about 3,199 miles with stops at Alliance Airport in Fort Worth and Shaw Air Force Base before heading back toward California. The autopilot handled taxi, takeoff and landing, navigating thunderstorms and busy hubs, with a Kitty Hawk flyover marking the milestone. The company says autonomous flight could usher in a new era of air mobility—connecting remote communities, speeding disaster response, and keeping pilots out of harm’s way—building on earlier tests like the NYC air-taxi trial.
