Utah recently participated in a first-of-its-kind cross-country demonstration of autonomous aviation technology when Joby Aviation brought its J208 aircraft to Salt Lake City. The visit was part of the Electric Skies tour, a 5,541 nautical mile journey that included stops in a dozen cities across the country.
The aircraft, which is equipped with Joby’s Superpilot™ autonomous flight technology, was remotely operated by engineers from the company’s headquarters in California. This demonstration provided the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and industry partners the chance to collect real-world data to help inform future safety standards, infrastructure decisions, and operating practices for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM).
UDOT Aeronautics Director Matt Maass stated that Utah is actively building a future transportation system that includes advanced air mobility solutions. Maass noted that the supervised autonomous flight helps generate important data that will be used to inform safety standards, future infrastructure decisions, and operating best practices for AAM deployment across Utah.
UDOT is currently leading the uFLY initiative, a five-state effort focused on testing and advancing electric flight. These technologies could eventually connect communities with airports, transit, and other transportation systems to expand access to services, jobs, and opportunities.
