{"id":12511,"date":"2020-07-11T16:47:47","date_gmt":"2020-07-11T23:47:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=12511"},"modified":"2020-07-11T16:47:47","modified_gmt":"2020-07-11T23:47:47","slug":"wisk-tests-cora-in-us-new-zealand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/wisk-tests-cora-in-us-new-zealand\/","title":{"rendered":"Wisk Tests Cora in US, New Zealand"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently renamed Wisk (formerly KittyHawk) has resumed flight testing of its Cora eVTOL<\/a> (electric Vertical Take Off and Landing) machines following a cautionary corona virus shutdown.\u00a0 It\u2019s already got a fleet, with several prototypes in the U. S. and at least four in New Zealand.<\/p>\n

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Four Cora’s on the ramp<\/p><\/div>\n

New Zealand seems to have a lock on flight testing for unpiloted aircraft, with Pyka and Cora both finding amenable administrators willing to allow flight tests.\u00a0 Boeing and Wisk are collaborating on achieving urban air mobility with the two-seat machine, and getting a lot of positive vibes from the locals.\u00a0 Partly from the NZ government, partly from local businesses, and partly from indigenous Maori tribes\u2019 people, Wisk and Cora have found wide-spread acceptance down under.<\/p>\n

Government Support<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods announced<\/a> last October that, \u201cThe Government is establishing an Airspace Integration Trials Program to support the safe testing and development of advanced unmanned aircraft and accelerate their integration into the aviation system.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), \u201cIs committed to supporting the growth of an innovative unmanned aircraft sector in New Zealand. We\u2019re creating opportunities to test and develop these emerging technologies to help make this happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working Zephyr Airworks, the New Zealand affiliate of Wisk, the MBIE has transferred $2.1 million to the Civil Aviation Authority to \u201cbuild capability\u201d and hire technical experts.\u00a0 The Ministry gave an additional $900,000 to the Ministry of Transport to \u201csupport policy development related to regulatory settings.\u201d<\/p>\n

The government will also partially reimburse 4,000 aircraft owners for the costs of installing ADS-B (Automatic dependent surveillance\u2013broadcast) transponders in their airplanes.\u00a0 Such units will become essential as the number of autonomous craft grows.<\/p>\n

Maori Support<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Wisk reports (as of October, 2018), \u201cOur time in New Zealand has also empowered many other important milestones. We have achieved seven hundred flight tests globally (now well over 1,000)\u2013\u2013 a major step forward toward ensuring Cora is one of the most reliable and advanced aircraft ever to take to the sky.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have built lasting bonds with the community. The young leaders of Ngai Tahu Iwi (a Maori tribe in New Zealand\u2019s South Island) recently visited our headquarters in sunny California. And we have benefited from hiring incredible local talent as the Kiwi cohort on the Cora team grows.<\/p>\n

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Kids, chalk, and Cora – a great outing for the family<\/p><\/div>\n

Recently, we also celebrated the opening of our hangar in New Zealand. It was an exciting moment. The hangar will serve as our first base of operations as we grow our fleet of Coras and build toward the world\u2019s first electric, autonomous air taxi service.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a hangar opening ceremony<\/a> attended by Minister Woods, local school children, and Maori tribes people, \u201cWe were privileged enough to have Ngai Tahu<\/em> bless our hangar. They led us on a procession in a timeless ceremony for invoking wellbeing and prosperity. It was one of the many priceless opportunities we have had to engage with the rich tikanga<\/em> of the M\u0101ori culture\u2026 Together, we are building a world where the freedom and power of the sky connects all our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cora Itself<\/strong><\/h4>\n

An outcome of a decade\u2019s development, Cora takes off vertically with no less than 12 propellers, apparently on pivoting mounts, paired on six under-wing booms.\u00a0 Wisk describes the safety factor inherent in the design: \u201cRotor Safety System:\u00a0Our vertical lift system features 12 independent rotors. Each direct drive motor combination has only one moving part: the fan. Flight tests have shown that an issue with one rotor is automatically handled with no discernible change in the flight path.\u201d<\/p>\n

Autoblog has a somewhat unique take on the “flying taxi.”\u00a0 The Kittyhawk offerings are no longer available.<\/p>\n