Xwing Achieves Autonomous Gate-to-Gate Operations in Test Flight
The converted Cessna 208B Grand Caravan operated autonomously from pushback at the gate until it returned to that gate at Buchanan Field Airport in California.
Autonomous flight technology pioneer Xwing recently conducted a fully autonomous gate-to-gate operation with its adapted Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft. In a statement issued today, the company reported that the flight was made back in February 2021 from its base at Buchanan Field Airport in Concord, California, with the aircraft being remotely monitored from its mission control center and with a pilot on board as a backup.
The aircraft taxied from the gate to the runway, took off, and subsequently landed and taxied back to the gate in a fully autonomous operation. All interactions with air traffic controllers were conducted by the ground-based pilot who monitored the flight via data links with multiple redundancies.
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