Wisk Aero, global industry experts in autonomous aviation, has completed a high-fidelity simulation with NASA evaluating whether one ground-based supervisor can manage three autonomous aircraft operating simultaneously alongside traditional air traffic in controlled airspace. The campaign supported the feasibility of a 1:3 supervisor-to-aircraft ratio while air traffic controllers continued using existing tools and procedures. The simulation represents the latest milestone under a five-year Non-Reimbursable Space Act Agreement between Wisk and NASA focused on integrating autonomous aircraft operating under Instrument Flight Rules into the National Airspace System. Establishing an effective multi-aircraft supervision model is an important step toward making commercial autonomous air taxi operations both operationally scalable and economically practical.

Wisk connected its Autonomy Lab in Mountain View, California, with NASA’s FutureFlight Central air traffic control simulation laboratories at Ames Research Center. The two-story NASA facility provides a full-scale, 360-degree airport simulation environment where air traffic controllers, pilots and other participants can evaluate new technologies and operating procedures under realistic conditions. The campaign followed predetermined IFR routes between Moffett Federal Airfield and San Martin Airport in California’s San Francisco Bay Area.

The human-in/over-the-loop simulation placed Wisk supervisors in direct communication with air traffic controllers while three autonomous aircraft operated within the simulated airspace. Wisk and NASA jointly developed a series of routine and contingency scenarios to evaluate standardized procedures under normal operating conditions as well as the system’s response to higher-workload and worst-case events. This allowed the teams to examine whether Wisk’s supervision methodology could remain resilient as operational complexity increased.

Close-up of radar display used during Wisk Aero and NASA multi-aircraft autonomous flight operations simulation. | Aerospace Technology Monthly

A close-up radar display shows simulated air traffic during Wisk Aero and NASA testing of multi-aircraft autonomous operations in controlled airspace.

“This is an incredible milestone for Wisk as it’s the first time we’ve tested our 1:3 supervisor-to-aircraft ratio with NASA in a high-fidelity, high-workload environment that mirrors the complexity of the National Airspace System,” said Erick Corona, Head of System and Operations Integration. “Wisk is doing more than building an autonomous aircraft. We are working closely with organizations like NASA to mature and modernize the broader aviation ecosystem. Proving that a single ground-based supervisor can manage multiple flights safely and efficiently is paramount to making commercial air taxi operations scalable and affordable. We are deeply grateful to the NASA team for their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to this project.”

The campaign used Wisk’s Remote Supervision System and autonomous systems to manage aircraft navigation and communications. Throughout the simulations, the teams collected data on communication response times, task latency, situational awareness and cognitive workload. Cognitive workload was assessed using the NASA Task Load Index and Bedford Workload Scale, providing structured data on the demands associated with overseeing multiple aircraft as traffic and contingency conditions changed. The simulation also examined how autonomous aircraft supervision can work within the current air traffic control environment rather than requiring controllers to immediately adopt an entirely new operating model. Air traffic controllers communicated with Wisk supervisors using established processes, while the supervisors used Wisk’s Remote Supervision System to oversee the three autonomous aircraft.

Data generated through the campaign will help Wisk and NASA refine standardized communications and operating procedures intended to reduce workload for both air traffic controllers and aircraft supervisors. The findings will also contribute to longer-term policy development around streamlined and increasingly digital communications, including concepts such as Automated Flight Rules.

Wisk and NASA plan to continue their joint research into autonomous aircraft integration within the National Airspace System. By testing multi-aircraft supervision along representative IFR routes and under high-workload contingency conditions, the campaign establishes additional operational benchmarks for integrating autonomous Advanced Air Mobility aircraft alongside conventional traffic.

About Wisk Aero

Wisk Aero is an autonomous aviation company developing an all-electric, four-passenger air taxi intended to operate without a pilot onboard and with oversight from ground-based human supervisors. The company has designed, built and flown six generations of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft while advancing the aircraft, autonomy, supervision and operational systems required for commercial Advanced Air Mobility. Wisk is a wholly owned subsidiary of Boeing. For more information, please click here.

Source/Photo Credit: Wisk Aero

(Editor’s Note: All trademarks mentioned in this article, including company names, product names, and logos, are the property of their respective owners. Use of these trademarks is for informational purposes only and does not imply any endorsement.)

Molly Bakewell Chamberlin
Latest posts by Molly Bakewell Chamberlin (see all)
Tagged