Joby’s Autonomous Plane Completes First Coast-to-Coast U.S. Flight Without Pilot Inputs

Joby Aviation became the first to complete a fully autonomous flight across the United States using a single-engine turboprop aircraft, according to the article. The converted Cessna Caravan was equipped with Joby’s J208 autonomous flight technology and flew 3,199 miles, or 5,148 kilometers, from California to North Carolina.

A safety pilot was onboard as a precaution under FAA regulations, but the aircraft reportedly did not need any control inputs from the pilot during the flight.

The trip began at Buchanan Field Airport in Concord, California, on September 7 and ended at Dare County Regional Airport in the Outer Banks, North Carolina, on September 14. Planned stops included Phoenix Deer Valley Airport in Arizona, Fort Worth Alliance Airport in Texas, and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.

The aircraft handled takeoff, cruise, route navigation, and landing autonomously. Joby also conducted remote supervision from its California headquarters and from Shaw Air Force Base.

The flight expands Joby’s aviation work beyond its better-known all-electric air taxis, which are designed to carry up to four passengers on short routes at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, or 322 kilometers per hour. The company says its autonomy technology can be applied to commercial freight, medical transport, disaster response, and defense logistics.

Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt said the trip offered “a glimpse into a new era of aviation,” pointing to potential uses in connecting remote communities, delivering supplies, disaster response, military operations, and keeping pilots out of harm’s way.

The aircraft’s journey is not finished. The Cessna is expected to perform a return flight to California with additional stops at airports in Washington, D.C., Kentucky, Kansas, Oklahoma, Utah, and Oregon.

The article also notes Joby’s recent expansion in defense-related work, including its acquisition of Ohio-based Resonant Sciences and a 2025 agreement with L3Harris Technologies to explore a gas-turbine hybrid vertical take-off and landing aircraft that can fly autonomously.