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Deployment

Wisk Cora at Masterton

Cora is the autonomous air taxi aircraft developed by Wisk Aero (formerly Kitty Hawk). A 2-seat, fully autonomous (pilotless) eVTOL with 12 fixed-pitch lift rotors and a pusher propeller, with approximately 40 km range and 150 m/min climb rate. Cora has been tested extensively in Wairarapa, New Zealand since 2019 under New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority approval, accumulating thousands of test flights. Wisk has not publicly announced the exact number of Cora aircraft produced; reports through 2023 indicate dozens of vehicles in the fleet. Wisk is developing a next-generation replacement (Generation 6) aimed at commercial certification.

Wisk Cora by Wisk Aero · Operated by Wisk Aero · Catalog entry · 3 sources · not yet field-verified

Track Wisk Cora at Masterton

Machine-readable surfaces

Wisk Aero (formerly Kitty Hawk / Cora project) has been operating the Cora autonomous air taxi from Masterton Airport (NZMJ) in the Wairarapa region, New Zealand since 2019, making it one of the world's longest-running eVTOL test programmes. Wisk received approval from the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (CAA NZ) and partnered with the New Zealand government (MBIE and CAA) to trial autonomous air taxis. By 2021, Wisk reported over 1,000 test flights in New Zealand; by 2023 the programme had accumulated thousands of flight hours. Wisk operates entirely autonomously (no on-board pilot), using ground-based human supervisors. New Zealand was selected as the test environment because of its lower air traffic density, regulatory partnership, and progressive civil aviation authority.

Key facts

Programme start
March 2019 (Cora/Wisk formation; NZ test operations began)
Test location
Masterton Airport (NZMJ), Wairarapa, New Zealand
Flight mode
Fully autonomous (no on-board pilot); ground supervisor monitors
Regulatory approval
CAA NZ exemption and ongoing airspace approval; NZ government partner
Flight count
>1,000 flights by 2021; thousands of flight hours by 2023 (Wisk-reported)
Trust tier
Catalog entry · 3 sources · not yet field-verified
Last updated
2026-06-12
Model
Wisk Cora
Company
Wisk Aero
Location
New Zealand/Masterton
Operator
Wisk Aero
Status
operational
First seen
2019-03-12
ID
5cd202ad-fc6d-496c-b8f6-439ae1d3887a

Sources (3)

  1. https://wisk.aero/news/wisk-reaches-1000-flight-milestone-in-new-zealand/ · 2021-10-01
  2. https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/12/wisk-aero-is-the-new-company-created-from-the-cora-air-taxi-project/ · 2019-03-12
  3. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/436791/self-flying-air-taxis-tested-in-wairarapa-for-two-years · 2021-03-12
Methodology: Verified · 3 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-06-12

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-06-12

Maturity + lifecycle

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: aerial

Sources by quality tier

1
primary-company-ir
Company IR disclosure
1
secondary-industry-publication
Industry publication
1
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Wisk Cora at Masterton.

Common questions

What is the Wisk Cora deployment at Masterton?
Wisk Cora, built by Wisk Aero, is recorded as a deployment at Masterton on the DEPLOY registry. Wisk Aero operates the deployment directly.
Who operates Wisk Cora at Masterton?
Wisk Aero, the manufacturer of Wisk Cora, operates this deployment directly. This is a maker-deploys-its-own-product arrangement rather than a customer pilot.
When did the Wisk Cora deployment at Masterton go live?
The deployment is recorded as starting March 12, 2019 on the DEPLOY registry. Earlier activity may exist but is not yet sourced.
Have there been incidents at the Wisk Cora deployment at Masterton?
No active incidents affecting this deployment are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Absence of recorded incidents is not a guarantee no incident occurred; DEPLOY records only sourced incidents and suppresses retracted ones.

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