Wisk Aero of Mountain View, California, a pioneer in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and developer of the United States’ first all-electric, self-flying air taxi, has partnered with the City of Long Beach, California, through the Long Beach Economic Partnership (LBEP), to bring AAM to Southern California.
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The two groups will collaborate to establish an AAM working group comprised of corporate, local government, and community leaders. The working group will be responsible for analyzing, planning, and implementing AAM in Long Beach, with an emphasis on autonomous flying. For an initial two-year period, Wisk and LBEP will co-chair the working group.
The working group will study four important areas over the next two years in order to assess the opportunities and impacts that AAM brings for Long Beach. These categories include economic effect and workforce development analyses, community acceptance and outreach, the integration of autonomous AAM into city transportation planning, and federal and state government financing sources. The study’s findings are due later this year.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with the City of Long Beach and LBEP on this groundbreaking project,” stated Gary Gysin, CEO of Wisk. “With its illustrious aerospace history, present renaissance via Space Beach, and key location within the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Long Beach is a great location for all-electric, autonomous urban flying prospects. Long Beach has the opportunity to be one of the first cities to achieve the economic and environmental benefits of AAM, as well as to set the standard for autonomous, all-electric AAM in Southern California and the United States.”
“Aerospace innovation has always played a significant role in Long Beach’s history,” Mayor Robert Garcia explains. “We have developed some of the world’s most advanced aircraft, are a leader in the space economy, and will now be the home of advanced air mobility technologies. We are looking forward to collaborating with Wisk and are proud of our local staff, which is educated, trained, and prepared to further these technologies.”
