AutoFlight has completed a formation flight involving five eVTOL aircraft across two weight classes, which the company describes as a world-first in multi-aircraft coordination and electric aviation.

Flight details

The demonstrations took place on October 31 and November 1 at AutoFlight's Bailian Lake Flight Test Base in Kunshan, China. The formation consisted of one 5-ton V5000 Matrix and four 2-ton eVTOLs, featuring three models: the V5000 Matrix, V2000CG CarryAll cargo eVTOL, and V2000CGF CarryAll firefighting eVTOL.

  • The five-aircraft formation completed a coordinated 47-minute flight.
  • The lead V5000 covered more than 133 km.
  • The entire flight was conducted autonomously, with no manual intervention.

Coordination across weight classes

Despite strong winds on November 1, the formation maintained stable flight and safe horizontal and vertical separation, according to AutoFlight. The company said coordinating aircraft of different sizes and mission profiles requires precise route planning, flight control, communication, and safety management.

AutoFlight said the demonstration builds on its three-aircraft formation flight in May 2026 and marks further progress in coordinating multiple eVTOL models and weight classes. The company said it also demonstrates growing capabilities in autonomous multi-aircraft operations, laying the technical foundation for future low-altitude transport networks connecting long-haul, regional, and last-mile routes.

Guests and vertiport visit

The events invited alumni representatives from the Stanford Executive Program (SEP) at Stanford Graduate School of Business, international eVTOL industry professionals, and AutoFlight customers and partners. Guests also visited Sunship, AutoFlight's water-based green vertiport on Dianshan Lake, and watched the formation flight from the lakeside.

AutoFlight said that as it advances the development of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), it is exploring new ways to connect air and sea mobility through eVTOL aircraft and platforms like Sunship.