Wisk Aero (formerly Zee Aero) Z-P1 (Generation 2) (proof of concept)

Z-P1 (Generation 2) (proof of concept)
Wisk Aero LLC.
Mountain View, California, USA
www.wisk.aero

Wisk Aero was founded in 2019 as a joint venture between Boeing and Kitty Hawk Corporation and is headquartered in Mountain View, California, USA. The goal of the company is to manufacture autonomous electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft with zero emissions, for advanced air mobility (AAM) and air cargo. The company recognizes that self-flying cars will not be the first to market but expects to be the first autonomous eVTOL passenger aircraft to market. Zee Aero was founded in 2010. Kitty Hawk Corporation purchased Zee Aero aircraft and its technology and intellectual property rights in March 2018. In December 2019, Kitty Hawk Corporation became Wisk Aero.

In 2019, a joint venture occurred between Boeing and Kitty Hawk with the goal to operate one of the world's largest urban air taxi fleets in the world, for use in United States, Europe and Asia. In February 2022, Boeing invested another $450 million in Wisk Aero. It was reported in late 2019, that some of Boeing's executives are already on Wisk Aero's board.

Z-P1 one person subscale eCTOL to validate an eVTOL proof of concept aircraft
The Z-P1 is a crewed subscale second generation proof of concept electric conventional takeoff and landing (eCTOL) aircraft to validate the idea of an eVTOL aircraft and determine if the aircraft will function in the real world. The Z-P1 holds one test pilot and is unknown if the aircraft can be flown by remote control.

The cabin is completely enclosed with a front window and each door has windows. The aircraft has a foreplane and a rear horizontal stabilizer (with vertical stabilizers one both ends of the horizontal stabilizer) for lift. There are two rear pusher propellers for forward flight. Two booms parallel to and near the top of the fuselage are intended to hold VTOL propellers. While this aircraft is a prototype for an eVTOL passenger aircraft, the Z-P1 proof of concept has no VTOL propellers and must take off and land conventionally like an small general aviation airplane. The aircraft has fixed tricycle wheeled landing gear for take offs and landings.

A proof of concept aircraft is typically for new unique aircraft to help inventors flight test the aircraft, collect flight test data, to find the right components for the aircraft, to help find other materials needed to make the aircraft and to test and make sure the aircraft will fly in the real world. Many times a proof of concept aircraft will not be a complete aircraft and will not look like the serial production model and, in fact, proof of concept aircraft are not intended to be an early version of the planned production model. While very little of this aircraft is known about, the construction of, the test flights and test data has been instrumental in helping make Wisk's Cora eVTOL passenger aircraft.

The company expects its autonomous eVTOL aircraft for air taxi service, for other types of passenger air mobility missions and for autonomous air cargo transportation.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: One person eCTOL aircraft for an eVTOL proof of concept aircraft
• Piloting: 1 pilot (and possibly remote)
• Cruise speed: Unknown
• Propellers: 2 rear pusher propellers
• Electric Motors: 2 electric motors
• Power source: Batteries
• Fuselage material: Unknown
• Windows: Standard windows found in small general aviation airplanes, 1 front window and 2 side windows
• Wings: 1 Foreplane wing
• Tail: 1 Twin tail or H-tail, consisting of two vertical stabilizers on the ends of a horizontal stabilizer
• Booms: 2 booms parallel to the fuselage that VTOL propellers could be mounted to
• Landing gear: Fixed tricycle wheeled landing gear

Related Aircraft:

• Wisk Aero (formerly Zee Aero) POC (Generation 1) (proof of concept)
• Wisk Aero (formerly Zee Aero) Z-P2 (Generation 3) (proof of concept)
• Wisk Aero (formerly Kitty Hawk) Cora (Generation 4) (technology demonstrator)
• Wisk Aero Cora (Generation 5) (prototype)
• Wisk Aero Cora Generation 6 (pre-production prototype)

Company Insights:

• Pitchbook
• Crunchbase
• MarketWatch
• Tracxn
• Wikipedia

Resources:

• Wisk Aero website
• Wisk Aero Facebook
• Wisk Aero Twitter
• Wisk Aero YouTube Channel
• Wisk Aero Instagram
• Wisk Aero LinkedIn
• Article: Inside Larry Page’s Turbulent Kitty Hawk: Returned Deposits, Battery Fires And A Boeing Shakeup, Forbes, Dec. 1, 2019
• Article: After ups and downs, Boeing and Kitty Hawk reboot flying-car venture as Wisk, GeekWire, Dec. 2, 2019
• Article: Boeing and Kitty Hawk Launch eVTOL Joint Venture Wisk, Aviation International News Online, Dec. 3, 2019
• Article: Boeing and Kitty Hawk to develop Cora eVTOL under Wisk joint venture, Vertical Magazine, Dec. 3, 2019
• Article: Boeing Invests $450 Million in Wisk to Fund Moonshot Self-Flying Air Taxi Project, Observer, January 24, 2022