Joby Aviation completes 3,199-mile autonomous flight

Joby Aviation completed its first autonomous flight across the United States. A converted Cessna Caravan flew 3,199 miles with zero control inputs from the onboard safety pilot, finishing the eastbound leg of a month-long tour in North Carolina's Outer Banks.

The aircraft carried out autonomous taxiing, takeoffs, route navigation and landings under remote supervision from Joby's Autonomy Headquarters in California and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina, at distances of up to 2,323 miles away. During the trip, it operated in high-density environments like Phoenix Deer Valley and rerouted around severe weather and thunderstorms in real time without prior airport familiarity.

The eastbound leg of the 2026 Electric Skies tour included stops in Concord, California; Phoenix, Arizona; Fort Worth, Texas; Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina; and Outer Banks, North Carolina. The return westbound journey is scheduled to stop in Raleigh, Fredericksburg/Washington, D.C., Louisville, Wichita, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City, and Portland.

The company's system is built on an autonomy stack purchased from Xwing in 2024, supported by more than 400 flights and 800 automated flight hours across controlled and uncontrolled airspace. Joby plans to use the technology on already-certified airframes for commercial freight, medical transport, disaster response and defense logistics.