Reuters reports, “The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday finalized comprehensive training and pilot certification rules for flying air taxis, addressing a key hurdle to the deployment of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The FAA called the rule ‘the final piece in the puzzle for safely introducing these aircraft in the near term.’ Some flying companies hope to begin flying commercial passengers as soon as 2025.”
Full Story (Reuters)
Tag: eVTOL aircraft
Joby Aviation Completes FAA Aerostructure Tests
Aerotime reports, “Joby Aviation has completed a series of major aerostructure tests to gain certification approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In a press release published on December 17, 2024, the company announced it has completed static load tests on the tail structure of its electric air taxi. These are the first major aerostructure tests done with FAA representatives present for credit.”
Full Story (Aerotime)
Eve Air Mobility Signs Agreement for Up to 50 eVTOL aircraft
Aerotime reports, “The electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) developer Eve Air Mobility has reached an agreement with Helicopters Inc. for up to 50 aircraft. Eve Air Mobility, a subsidiary of Brazilian planemaker Embraer, confirmed on December 4, 2024, that a Letter of Intent (LOI) had been signed with the US-based helicopter operator.”
Full Story (Aerotime)
Joby Aviation Applies for FAA Type Certification in Australia
Reuters reports, “Electric air taxi maker Joby Aviation said on Tuesday [that] it has formally applied for its aircraft to be certified for use in Australia. … Joby’s application to Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority for an FAA type certification validation leverages a bilateral agreement between U.S. and Australian regulators for mutual recognition of aviation approvals and certifications.”
Full Story (Reuters)
Joby Completes Landmark 523-Mile Hydrogen-Electric Flight
Aviation International reports, “Joby Aviation, a next generation aviation company, today announced it has successfully flown a first-of-its-kind hydrogen-electric air taxi demonstrator 523 miles, with water as the only by-product. The aircraft, which takes off and lands vertically, builds on Joby’s successful battery-electric air taxi development program, and demonstrates the potential for hydrogen to unlock emissions-free, regional journeys that don’t require a runway.”
Full Story (Aviation International)
Joby Exceeds Range Target for Hydrogen-Electric Air Tax Demonstrator
Aviation Week reports, “While it pursues certification of its battery-powered air taxi and prepares to launch commercial service, Joby Aviation already is flying its electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft on liquid hydrogen and fuel cells. … In flight testing conducted in June, the remotely piloted aircraft completed a 523-mi. flight over Marina, California, including a vertical takeoff and landing and landing with 10% of its liquid hydrogen (LH2) fuel load remaining. This compares with the 155 mi. flown by the battery-electric S4 in 2021.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Joby May Perform Air Tours and Market Survey Flights before Starting Commercial Operations
Aviation Week Network reports, “Joby Aviation may fly passengers on air tours and market survey flights before starting commercial air taxi operations, the company says. The flights, done under FAA 91 general operations regulations, could be a sort of soft launch for the electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) developer and operator…”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
FAA Approves Joby Aviation’s Use of In-House Software for Air-Taxi Operations
Reuters reports, “Joby Aviation said on Thursday the FAA has authorized the use of the air-taxi maker’s in-house software to perform tasks such as managing pilot workload and matching passengers with aircraft similar to ride-hailing apps. The nod for the operating system, known as ElevateOS, comes as Joby gears up to launch its commercial air-taxi operations as early as 2025.”
Full Story (Reuters)
Joby and Skyports Partner on Dubai eVTOL Operations
FlightGlobal reports that “Joby Aviation and Skyports Infrastructure have joined forces to launch air taxi passenger services in Dubai as early as 2025 through exclusive deals with the emirate’s transport authority.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal)
Joby Aviation Achieves Key Air Taxi Certification Milestone
Flying Magazine reports “It’s full steam ahead for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi manufacturer Joby Aviation.” The company recently reported its fourth-quarter and full-year 2023 earnings and revealed “that it recorded revenue for the first time” while “announcing plans to ramp up testing, certification, and manufacturing activities.” Joby is “the first eVTOL manufacturer to complete the third of five stages in FAA type certification, and the firm is now turning to stage four: for-credit flight testing with the regulator.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Joby Completes Third FAA Type Certification in Five-Stage Process
FlightGlobal reports “US advanced air mobility company Joby says it’s completed the third of the Federal Aviation Administration’s five-stage type certification process as it reports a 2023 full-year loss of $513 million.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal – Subscription Publication)
Joby Concludes Flight Testing with Pre-Production eVTOL
FlightGlobal reports, “US air taxi start-up Joby Aviation has concluded the pre-production flight test programme that it launched four years ago, now transitioning into a production-focused phase of development.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal)
Archer, Joby to Provide Air Taxi Service in Abu Dhabi
Flying Magazine reports, “Two titans in the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi industry are building on their previously announced plans to serve the United Arab Emirates. At the inaugural DriftX conference in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation, both headquartered in California, signed agreements with Abu Dhabi government agencies to introduce their respective air taxis in the Emirate.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Manufacturing Strategies Highlight Key Difference Between Joby and Archer
Aviation Week reports, “In many ways, Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation are highly similar startups. The two front-runners in the nascent U.S. air taxi market are both developing piloted, four-passenger electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicles with the goal of launching commercial service next year.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Joby Aviation Attains Autonomous Flight Developer Xwing
Flying Magazaine reports, “Joby on Tuesday announced it acquired the autonomy division of Xwing, the developer of autonomous gate-to-gate flight software Superpilot, as it looks ahead to a transition to self-flying air taxi services. The manufacturer plans to initially operate the aircraft with onboard pilots and has a partnership with Delta Air Lines to launch commercial service as early as next year.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Joby Aviation Eyes Saudi Arabia for Electric Air Taxi Network
Flying Magazine reports, “Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi manufacturer Joby Aviation is setting its sights on Saudi Arabia. The manufacturer on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mukamalah Aviation—a subsidiary of state-owned oil and gas company Saudi Aramco that according to Joby operates the world’s largest fleet of corporate aircraft—to introduce its eVTOL air taxi in the country.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Joby CEO Announces 84% Completion of Stage 3 FAA Certification Work for EVTOL Aircraft
Aviation Today reports that Joby Aviation CEO JoeBen Bevirt says the company’s eVTOL aircraft is 84% on its way to completing FAA Stage 3 certification requirements. The company “checked off several milestones in the past three months that bring it ever closer to launching commercial passenger flights in 2025.” Joby is “ramping up production at its pilot manufacturing facility in Merina, Calif., with one aircraft in final assembly and two more in production.” It also has “chosen Dayton, Ohio, as the site for the first scaled manufacturing facility, after receiving promises for $325 million in state and local incentives and benefits, Bevirt said.”
Full Story (Aviation Today)
Joby Aviation Founder Says Electric Air Taxis Will be in Service by 2025
The AP reports that in an interview, Joby Aviation founder JoeBen Bevirt said that its electric air taxis will be in service within two years. Bevirt “insists that his Santa Cruz, California-based company…can meet an ambitious target of entering commercial air taxi service in 2025.” However, “Like other eVTOL startups, Joby is losing money – more than $400 million in 2021-2022. Analysts don’t know when, if ever, it will be profitable.” Bevirt said, “Our goal is absolutely still to achieve commercial service in 2025, and given the progress we’re making on certification and the progress we’re making on the manufacturing front, we’re excited to just be day after day knocking down the milestones.”
Full Story (Associated Press)
Overair Working to Complete First Air Taxi Prototype
An article in Aerospace America describes Overair’s facility and examines the eVTOL aircraft the company is producing and the differences from its competitors. Company Co-Founder and CEO Ben Tigner believes the company’s rotor design and proprietary technology will be what drives Overair’s success in a competitive market. Overair’s aircraft will use large rotors, and therefore require less than competitors like Joby, Archer, and Volocopter – using only four rotors while others use as many as 18. The rotors are large, but lightweight due to their utilization of carbon fiber composite.
Full Story (Aerospace America)
USAF Begins Testing of Joby Electric Air Taxi
Aerospace America reports that on Monday, the US Air Force (USAF) held a ceremony to formally introduce personnel “to the first electric air taxi to be stationed at an American military base: a Joby Aviation S4 tiltrotor.” The S4 will be operated at Edwards Air Force Base by the USAF, Joby, and NASA in order to test its ability to carry personnel and supplies. Edwards Air Force Base 412th Test Wing Commander Col. Douglas Wickert said, “We’re literally standing on the threshold here of a new era in aviation. There’s no doubt that the electrification of aviation is going to be a critical piece in the broader energy transition toward a sustainable future for humanity, and I’m proud that we get to the opportunity to contribute to that. There’s a transformative vertical lift industry that’s emerging, and we need to be partners in it.” The S4 at the ceremony is the first one delivered to the USAF under a $131 million contract between Joby and the Air Force Research Laboratory’s innovation arm AFWERX. The USAF will not officially own the aircraft, but the contract allows the USAF and partners to fly it.
Full Story (Aerospace America)