HANGAR TALK UAS & eVTOL NEWS RELATING TO UNCrewed, AAM & eVTOL SYSTEMS


Joby Enters Final Phase of Certification for Electric Air Taxi


Joby Aviation Inc. recently announced it has entered the final phase of certification for its electric air taxi, having conducted its first FAA testing under Type Inspection Authorization (TIA). The testing involved pilots from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) evaluating human factors elements of flight safety using an FAA-conforming flight deck in a Joby simulator.


TIA testing is considered the final phase of the type certification process, which paves the way for an aircraft to begin commercial passenger operations. This phase involves FAA test pilots conducting testing to validate an aircraft’s performance and safety in accordance with previously approved certification test plans.


“This milestone demonstrates Joby’s continued industry leadership, and is a reflection of the maturity of our test program and the rigorous company testing we’ve already completed,” said JoeBen Bevirt, CEO and founder at Joby Aviation. “As well as continuing the ‘for-credit’ testing of components, aerostructures and systems that is already underway, we are targeting the start of TIA flight testing in 2025 with our first FAA-conforming aircraft, which is currently being built at our facility in Marina, California.”


48 Jan/Feb 2025


The tests were conducted according to a set of criteria outlined in an FAA-approved human factors certification test plan. They measured pilot workload under various expected flight conditions, physical ergonomics of the flight deck, and other human factors aspects of aircraft safety.


Four FAA test pilots completed three days of TIA testing during the engagement.


In another major achievement, Joby announced it has successfully completed static load testing on an FAA- conforming tail structure of the aircraft, marking the first time the company had tested a major aerostructure for FAA credit.


Joby is the first eVTOL manufacturer to complete three of five stages of the FAA type certification program, and Joby is more than 40% complete with its work for the fourth stage.


Joby’s electric air taxi is designed to carry a pilot and up to four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph, offering high-speed mobility with a fraction of the noise produced by helicopters and zero operating emissions.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92