Autonomous aviation company Wisk Aero recently broke ground on a new vertiport at Hollister Municipal Airport, one of the first in the country that will be able to support autonomous operations as well as piloted flight.

By starting with surrogate flights then moving on to autonomy testing, Wisk will be able to use the site to:

• Review terminal area flight procedures
• Gather real-world operational data
• Prove capability of precision landing technologies
• Achieve readiness for commercial service

Wisk Aero has designed the new site to meet all FAA vertiport standards and has established plans to use the facility to test flight procedures and advanced landing technologies in various scenarios, including:

• Nominal conditions
• Missed approaches
• GPS-denied environments

Since Wisk is installing in-house-developed transceivers directly on the launching pads, the company also plans for better operations in reduced and zero visibility using VTOL aircraft, such as:

• Helicopters
• eVTOL
• Wisk’s Air Taxi

Wisk hopes to contribute to important regulatory goals and aviation industry initiatives, such as the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) and the FAA Vertical Lift Infrastructure Advisory Circular development.

The new vertiport features:

• Modular and deployable layout
• Steel elevated structures
• Integrated solar panels
• Power banks
• Taxiway connectors

Wisk Aero Senior Program Manager, Operational Integration and Testing, Annie Cheng said, “Breaking ground on this vertiport at Hollister Municipal Airport is a big moment for Wisk, AAM, and autonomous aviation.”

Cheng continued, “By testing autonomous and piloted operations on an actual public airport, we are bridging the gap between advanced aircraft development and real-world infrastructure.”

“The data and operational learnings generated here will directly feed into our autonomy stack and help shape the FAA’s foundational standards for future vertiport operations, moving autonomous air taxis significantly closer to commercial readiness,” added Cheng.

Wisk Aero thanks local, state and federal stakeholders for making the project possible through dedicated collaboration.