Joby Aviation completed what it calls the "first-ever autonomous flight across the United States," flying a converted Cessna Caravan 3,199 miles from California's Buchanan Field Airport to Dare County Regional Airport in Outer Banks, NC. The aircraft handled taxiing, takeoff, cruising, and landing without human control inputs, monitored by a human onboard and remotely supervised from Joby's California headquarters and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.

The autonomous aircraft will now return westward with stops in Raleigh, NC, Salt Lake City, and Portland, Ore. While Joby is known for its piloted, fully electric air taxis — demoed in New York City in April with public launch planned for later this year — this achievement signals expansion beyond urban air mobility. The company says its autonomy tech can integrate into existing aircraft for commercial freight, emergency response, and defense logistics applications.