Wisk Breaks Ground on Deployable Vertiport at Hollister Municipal Airport in California
Why It MattersBuilding relocatable, publicly classified test infrastructure lets eVTOL developers generate real-world data for regulators before fixed vertiport networks or certified aircraft exist.
What happened
Wisk has broken ground on a new vertiport at Hollister Municipal Airport in California, located next to the company's existing flight test facilities. The structure measures 100 by 100 feet (30.4 by 30.4 meters) and is designed as a testbed for autonomous and piloted eVTOL operations, while also accommodating conventional helicopters.
The vertiport features a modular, deployable design, meaning it can be physically relocated to other testing environments, including future FAA eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) flight test areas in Texas. It incorporates solar panels, power banks, and taxiway connectors, and Wisk has developed on-pad transceivers intended to support operations in low- or no-visibility conditions. The facility is classified as a public airport despite functioning primarily as a testbed.
Wisk is a wholly owned subsidiary of Boeing and is developing its sixth-generation autonomous air taxi. That aircraft is designed to cruise at 2,500 feet (760 meters), reach 120 knots (222 km/h), and offer an endurance of up to 90 minutes including reserves. It is a candidate for FAA certification.
Industry impact & what to watch
This project fits into a broader push by eVTOL developers to build ground infrastructure ahead of certification, since aircraft approval alone does not create a place to fly them. A deployable vertiport lets a manufacturer test at one site and then move the same structure to another regulatory or operational context, reducing the need to build separate fixed facilities at each test location.
Real-world data collected at Hollister is set to feed into the FAA's eIPP and its Vertical Lift Infrastructure Advisory Circle, meaning this single site could influence how vertiport standards are written before wider deployment begins. That gives infrastructure testing a direct line into rulemaking, rather than leaving standards to be set after aircraft are already certified.
The next marker to watch is whether the vertiport is actually relocated to a Texas eIPP flight test area, since that would validate the modular design's central claim. Progress on Wisk's sixth-generation aircraft toward FAA certification will also determine how soon this ground infrastructure needs to support real passenger-carrying operations rather than test flights alone.
