Joby Aviation says a converted Cessna Caravan flew 3,199 miles from Concord, California, to North Carolina’s Outer Banks in September 2026 without pilot control inputs. A safety pilot remained aboard, while remote teams supervised the flight.
Joby said the system managed taxiing, takeoffs, route changes, rerouting around severe weather and landings at multiple airports. It also operated near live general-aviation traffic at Phoenix Deer Valley Airport; remote teams monitored the mission from California and Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina, as far as 2,323 miles away.
The crossing was a supervised company demonstration, not regulatory approval for pilotless commercial service; commercial deployment would require separate FAA certification. Joby planned a westbound return with stops in Washington, D.C., Kentucky, Kansas, Oklahoma, Utah and Oregon, according to Aerospace Global News.
