NEW YORK and MOUNTAIN
VIEW, Calif., May 5, 2021
/PRNewswire/ -- Blade Urban Air Mobility, Inc. and Wisk Aero LLC
today announced an arrangement for Wisk to provide Blade with up to
30 Electric Vertical Aircraft ("EVA" or "eVTOL").
![Wisk to Provide and Operate up to 30 Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Aircraft (eVTOL) for Key Blade Urban Air Mobility Routes Wisk to Provide and Operate up to 30 Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Aircraft (eVTOL) for Key Blade Urban Air Mobility Routes](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1503471/Wisk_Aero_and_Blade_Announcement.jpg)
Wisk is an Urban Air Mobility ("UAM") company dedicated to
delivering safe, everyday flight for everyone and is the company
behind the first all-electric, autonomous eVTOL aircraft in the
U.S. Following FAA certification, Blade and Wisk intend to deploy
the aircraft on short-distance routes between Blade's network of
dedicated terminals throughout the U.S., with Wisk aircraft being
chartered by Blade at an hourly rate on those routes. Wisk will be
compensated based on Blade flight time utilized on the aircraft,
which will be owned, operated, and maintained by Wisk for Blade's
use. Blade expects to leverage its existing flight volumes to
provide minimum flight hour guarantees to Wisk. Wisk's deployment
of its aircraft on Blade routes is subject to the parties entering
into definitive agreements.
Blade and Wisk will also form a working group to assist in the
deployment of technologies necessary for aircraft charging and
next-generation air traffic management. The working group will also
leverage Blade's six years of experience with UAM services in the
most congested markets to inform future Wisk design principles.
Wisk currently operates autonomous eVTOL aircraft pursuant to
experimental type certificates and plans to begin initial test
flights in Blade's key service areas when possible.
"We look forward to working with Wisk to help accelerate Blade's
transition from conventional rotorcraft to safe, quiet,
emission-free Electric Vertical Aircraft," said Rob Wiesenthal, CEO
of Blade.
"This arrangement validates that UAM is the future of mobility,"
said Gary Gysin, CEO of Wisk. "To
date, we have been focused on developing an aircraft and customer
experience that is efficient, accessible, and - most importantly -
safe. The combination of our expertise as an autonomous eVTOL
aircraft manufacturer and operator, with the operational expertise
of Blade, will help usher in an even greater level of safety and
service."
"The Wisk-Blade arrangement is a perfect fit for our asset light
model," said Will Heyburn, CFO and
Head of Corporate Development for Blade. "Backed by Boeing's deep
aerospace experience, Wisk will own, operate and maintain their
aircraft as part of our network, allowing Blade to focus on
delivering a great experience to our fliers."
Blade and Wisk are both committed to an open-network approach to
Urban Air Mobility. Wisk intends to provide aircraft to multiple
customer-facing platforms while Blade expects to utilize a variety
of EVA, based on mission requirements, and recently announced that
it secured 20 piloted EVA from a third-party manufacturer,
scheduled for deployment starting in late 2024.
About Blade
Blade is a technology-powered urban air mobility platform
committed to reducing travel friction by providing cost-effective
air transportation alternatives to some of the most congested
ground routes in the U.S. and abroad. Today, the company
predominantly uses helicopters and amphibious aircraft. Its
asset-light model, coupled with its exclusive passenger terminal
infrastructure, is designed to facilitate a seamless transition to
Electric Vertical Aircraft ("EVA" or "eVTOL"), enabling lower cost
air mobility to the public that is both quiet and zero
emissions.
On December 15, 2020, Blade
announced it would become a public company through a merger with a
special purpose acquisition company, Experience Investment Corp.
(NASDAQ: EXPC). Closing of the merger is subject to approval by the
stockholders of both Blade and Experience Investment Corp. and the
satisfaction or waiver of certain other conditions.
For more information, visit blade.com/investors.
About Wisk
Wisk is an urban air mobility company dedicated to delivering
safe, everyday flight for everyone. Wisk's self-flying, eVTOL
(electric vertical takeoff and landing) air taxi, will make it
possible for passengers to skip the traffic and get to their
destination faster. Based in the San
Francisco Bay Area and New
Zealand, Wisk is an independent company backed by The Boeing
Company and Kitty Hawk Corporation. With a decade of experience and
approximately 1500 test flights, Wisk is shaping the future of
daily commutes and urban travel, safely and sustainably.
For more information, follow us on LinkedIn,
Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, or
visit wisk.aero.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of the safe harbor provision of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking
statements may be identified by the use of words such as
"anticipate", "believe", "could", "continue", "expect", "estimate",
"may", "plan", "outlook", "future" and "project" and other similar
expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or
that are not statements of historical matters. Such forward-looking
statements, including with respect to the agreement between Blade
and Wisk and the proposed business combination of Blade and
Experience Investment Corp. ("EIC"), are subject to known and
unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important
factors, many of which are outside Blade's control, that could
cause actual results to differ materially from the results
discussed in the forward-looking statements. These risks,
uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors include, but
are not limited to: (1) the occurrence of any event, change or
other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the
agreements and transactions described in this press release; (2)
the inability to complete the transactions due to the failure of
any party to satisfy relevant terms and conditions; (3) costs
related to the transactions; (4) changes in applicable laws or
regulations and delays in obtaining, adverse conditions contained
in, or the inability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals
required to complete the transactions; (5) the possibility that
Blade may be adversely affected by other economic, business,
regulatory and/or competitive factors; (6) the impact of COVID-19
on Blade's business and/or the ability of the parties to complete
the transactions; and (7) the outcome of any legal proceedings that
may be instituted against Blade or any of its directors or
officers, following the announcement of the transactions.
New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is
impossible for us to predict these events or how they may affect us
or the transactions described in this press release. You are
cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date made, and Blade
undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, changes in
expectations, future events or otherwise.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
Experience Investment Corp. ("EIC") has filed with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") a Registration Statement
on Form S-4 (the "Form S-4") and a definitive proxy
statement/prospectus in connection with the proposed business
combination (the "Merger") and has mailed the definitive proxy
statement/prospectus and other relevant documents to its
stockholders. EIC's stockholders and other interested persons are
advised to read the definitive proxy statement/prospectus in
connection with EIC's solicitation of proxies for its stockholders'
meeting to be held to approve the Merger because the proxy
statement/prospectus contains important information about EIC,
Blade and the Merger. The definitive proxy statement/prospectus has
been mailed to stockholders of EIC as of March 17, 2021, the record date established for
voting on the Merger. Stockholders also are able to obtain copies
of the Registration Statement on Form S-4 and the proxy
statement/prospectus, without charge, at the SEC's website at
www.sec.gov or by directing a request to Experience Investment
Corp., 100 St. Paul St., Suite 800, Denver, CO 80206 or
mrichardson@riverinc.com.
Participants in the Solicitation
EIC, Blade and certain of their respective directors and
officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies
of EIC's stockholders with respect to the approval of the business
combination with Blade. EIC and Blade urge investors, stockholders
and other interested persons to read the Form S-4 and the
definitive proxy statement/prospectus and documents incorporated by
reference therein, as well as other documents filed with the SEC in
connection with the business combination, as these materials
contain important information about Blade, EIC and the business
combination. Information regarding the participants in the proxy
solicitation, including EIC's directors and officers and Blade's
directors and officers, and a description of their respective
direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise,
is included in the Form S-4 and the definitive proxy
statement/prospectus for the business combination. Each of these
documents is available at the SEC's website or by directing a
request to EIC as described above under "Additional Information and
Where to Find It."
No Offer or Solicitation
This communication is not a proxy statement or solicitation of a
proxy, consent, or authorization with respect to any securities or
in respect of the Merger and shall neither constitute an offer to
sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor
shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which
the offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the
registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such
jurisdiction.
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SOURCE Wisk Aero