Self-flying aircraft completes first ever flight across US, company honours Wright Brothers

For the first time ever, a self-flying airplane has flown 3,199 miles to complete a journey across the US. A single-engine Cessna Caravan, managed by aerospace firm Joby Aviation, completed the transcontinental voyage without a human pilot onboard, relying entirely on autonomous computing architecture to navigate every stage from runway taxiing to takeoffs and touchdowns. The robotic aircraft departed Joby’s base in Concord, California, on September 7. Rather than flying in a straight non-stop sprint, the autonomous Cessna executed a multi-leg journey across different regional environments.“By integrating an autonomous system onto an already-certified airframe, Joby offers a scalable path to autonomous air logistics.