Joby Advances to Testing with Production Prototype Air Taxi

Until now, the manufacturer had only performed flight testing with less-developed, preproduction prototypes.

Friday, May 03, 2024 at 04:13 PM ET

Verified

Joby’s two preproduction prototype air taxis together have flown more than 33,000 miles over the course of more than 1,500 test flights, the company says. [Courtesy: Joby Aviation]

Key Takeaways:

Joby Aviation is entering a critical phase of FAA type certification, commencing flight testing with its newly rolled-out production prototype eVTOL aircraft.
This phase involves "for-credit" evaluations of the entire aircraft, which is a crucial step towards achieving full type certification following earlier component-level tests.
The company has produced two production prototypes, with the first already deployed for joint testing and logistics missions with the U.S. Air Force.
Successful completion of these rigorous certification evaluations is essential for Joby to meet its goal of launching commercial urban air mobility services by 2025.

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After announcing a manufacturing expansion earlier this week, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi manufacturer Joby Aviation is preparing for a critical step in type certification with the FAA.

The company on Thursday said it is moving to the next phase of flight testing using production prototype aircraft, the first of which came off its pilot production line at Marina Municipal Airport (KOAR) in California in June. The company on Monday rolled out a second production prototype. Until now, Joby had only flown tests using two preproduction air taxi prototypes.