Wisk Aero and NASA have tested a 1:3 supervisor-to-aircraft ratio for autonomous eVTOL operations in a simulation at NASA Ames Research Center. The exercise examined whether one ground supervisor could monitor three autonomous aircraft moving through shared airspace using existing air traffic control tools.
The test focused on Wisk’s autonomous flight systems inside NASA’s air traffic control simulation laboratory rather than in live flight. That distinction leaves the result squarely in the research and development phase, but it directly addresses a central operational question for autonomous air taxi services: how many aircraft a single supervisor can oversee safely.
The staffing model has implications for future certification, operating concepts and airspace integration, particularly as eVTOL developers seek scalable ways to fit into established traffic management structures. By pairing autonomous aircraft operations with conventional ATC tools, the simulation explored a framework that could help shape how autonomous air taxis are supervised in commercial service.