On Monday at the Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K., Wisk, in an expansion of its partnership with vertiport developer Skyports, announced an electric air taxi network that it hinted could be ready in time for the marquee event.

Wisk and Skyports in 2022 gave an early look at their vision for an eVTOL air taxi network, complete with infrastructure for vertical takeoff and landing, or vertiports. They will function much like heliports with electric aircraft chargers to juice up Wisk’s air taxi.

The partners now are working with the Council of Mayors of Australia’s South East Queensland (SEQ) region, with which Wisk has collaborated since 2022, to devise a network for the company’s Generation 6 model.

A prototype of the flagship design has a range of 90 sm (78 nm) with reserves and charge time of 15 minutes. Like designs from competitors Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation, the Gen 6 features tilting propellers that aid in both vertical and forward flight. Wisk, though, is one of a handful of firms in the industry looking to fly autonomously at launch. It projects a commercial rollout will happen by the end of the decade.

Wisk and Skyports will pick out hubs for the air taxi across the SEQ region, home to an estimated 4 million and growing. The partners said they will study regional travel patterns, conduct feasibility studies, and speak with local communities about what to expect from the service.

They also noted that the region is already preparing for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic games, saying they expect to plan out air taxi infrastructure in time for the big event.

“We’re excited to see this evolving industry bring high-value local jobs to SEQ and support improved services like medical and tourism,” said Scott Smith, CEO of the SEQ Council of Mayors. “To secure our place as a global destination, we must be at the forefront of adopting emerging technologies.”

Wisk is developing a similar network in Japan in partnership with flag carrier Japan Airlines.

It likewise has plans for the U.S. in the Greater Houston region of Texas and is working toward bringing the Gen 6 to Long Beach, California. Officials in Los Angeles are preparing for the introduction of air taxis ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, though it is unclear if Wisk will meet that deadline.

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The pilotless airplane crashed as Jacob floated to earth.

At the time of the event, Jacob was allegedly enroute from Lompoc City Airport (KLPC) in Santa Barbara County to Mammoth Lakes (KMMH) in order to snowboard. He had recently purchased the aircraft and according to several reports in local newspapers, there is some question as to whether the aircraft was airworthy at the time of the flight, as it needed maintenance.

The aircraft had several cameras mounted on it and in it. The video shows Jacob’s reaction to loss of engine power. Although there is a camera mounted inside the cockpit that faces the panel, there are no shots of the panel that show the position of the throttle or mixture knobs, or the position of the magneto switch at the time of the power loss or after.

The video shows the aircraft cockpit as viewed from the left wing and from the tail of the aircraft, and inside the cockpit Jacob has a handheld camera which is mounted on a selfie stick before he bails out. As he falls away from the aircraft, he keeps the camera pointed on his face.

The video was posted to YouTube on December 23, and since then it has been shared and copied numerous times. There have been over a million views of the video on YouTube alone. Jacob’s other YouTube videos of his athletic activities garner on average a few thousand hits a day. 

The video has been heavily scrutinized. For example, it has been noted that there was a flat, open area in the distance. Ostensibly, Jacob could have attempted an emergency landing in that area instead of jumping from the aircraft.

Other things noticed in the video are what appears to be a significant amount of fuel in the header tank of the aircraft, as shown by the tube fuel gauge atop the cowling, and a freeze frame of Jacob’s separation from the aircraft shows a cylindrical object strapped to his left calf—under his pant leg—that has the same dimensions as a fire extinguisher. A fire extinguisher is usually not carried as part of a pilot’s personal equipment.

After the event, as he hikes out of the brush Jacob talks about the benefit of wearing a parachute, stating that he always wears one when he flies. However a search of his other flying videos shows this statement to be incorrect. 

The wreckage of the aircraft was allegedly recovered by Jacob a few days after he reported the accident to the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA. 

The NTSB normally does not investigate unscheduled, off-airport landings of vintage light aircraft unless there is a failure of a flight-control system, damage to something other than the aircraft in excess of $25,000, or serious injuries as the result of the accident. However, the NTSB has filed a preliminary report. 

Jacob sustained minor injuries in the form of a few cuts and bruises from landing in the brush.

If the FAA concludes that the accident was intentional and therefore staged, Jacob could be cited for violation of FAR 91.13: careless and reckless operation of aircraft. If it is determined that the aircraft was unairworthy at the time of the flight and there was no ferry permit, more citations could follow.

The FAA does not comment on ongoing investigations. It will be several months before the final report is released. For more information, pilots can reference the NTSB report by its file number: WPR22LA049.

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