Imagine shuttling back and forth between various venues at the Brisbane 2032 Olympics aboard self-flying air taxis. Based on the 5th-generation aircraft that were on public display at King George Square in the City, riding an air taxi without a pilot isn’t as farfetched as it seems.
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Leading urban air mobility company Wisk Aero has signed a deal with the Council of Mayors for the provision of self-flying air taxis in 10 years’ time, to transport people quickly from hubs near the City to Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast, and Toowoomba.
The public display of self-flying air taxis at King George Square comes on the heels of the announcement of Wisk’s expansion into Australia and marks the first in a series of planned displays in the region.
On display recently in Brisbane was their 5th generation aircraft, a two-passenger autonomous aircraft with 12 independent, electric-powered lifting propellers.
Photo credit: Wisk
Wisk’s next-gen aircrafts are designed to deliver a self-flying first approach. By leveraging existing, proven technology, their proprietary software, and technical oversight by their experts, the planes would fly under the control of automatic systems, without intervention from a human pilot.
Also known as Cora, the 5th-gen wonder on display in Brisbane took almost eight years to develop. It is an electric, fixed wing, lift+cruise aircraft that is Wisk’s first-ever autonomous, off-runway flight.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, who chairs the Council of Mayors (SEQ) said attracting global businesses and innovative industries like Wisk to the region, was a big part of the reason why the Council of Mayors first kickstarted the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games journey.
“We’re thrilled to be working with Wisk to look at how South East Queensland can capitalise off the new jobs and economic opportunities associated with this Australian-first industry,” Cr Schrinner said.
“While there’s still plenty of work to do around regulation and safety, the prospect of having autonomous air taxis operating throughout our region and between venues during the Brisbane2032 Games is really exciting.”
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Gary Gysin, Chief Executive Officer of Wisk, said Wisk was proud to engage with forward-thinking local leaders, like the Council of Mayors (SEQ), to advance the introduction of AAM and benefit not only Wisk, but local communities and the industry as a whole.
“This is an exciting time for us, as we continue our momentum and expand our global presence. We look forward to building on the strong relationships we have in Australia to make safe, all-electric, autonomous flight a reality,” said Mr Gysin.
