Joby Aviation Nears Final Certification for Electric Air Taxis

Joby Aviation, a company developing electric air taxis, is making significant progress toward its goal of commercial passenger service. The company recently announced it's preparing the final assembly of its first conforming aircraft, which is a huge step in the certification process with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

This new aircraft is designed to meet strict FAA standards and will be used for Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) flight tests. TIA is the final stage of the certification process, and it allows FAA pilots to evaluate the aircraft's performance and safety directly.

According to Didier Papadopoulos, the President of Aircraft OEM at Joby, this milestone is the result of 15 years of work. The company has already completed successful tests on components and systems, including pushing the aircraft's structure to forces beyond what it would experience during flight. This work ensures the aircraft's design is safe and structurally sound.

Joby plans to have its own pilots begin flying the aircraft in 2025, with FAA pilots following shortly after.

Joby's progress is a result of its strategy to handle design, manufacturing, and testing in-house. This approach has helped to speed up development and maintain quality control. The company's collaboration with Toyota and expansion of manufacturing facilities in California and Ohio will allow it to double production capacity to 24 aircraft per year.

This progress puts Joby in the final stretch of getting its electric air taxi fully certified and ready for commercial operations.