• 30 Apr 2022 01:02 AM
• 0

Joby Resumes Flight Testing

Joby Aviation announced on March 24 that it had resumed aircraft flight testing after its first prototype was destroyed in an accident on Feb. 16 (see “Pushing the Envelope: Joby Aviation in 2022,” Vertiflite, March/April 2022). Joby’s second pre-production aircraft has begun flight tests at the company’s production facility in Marina, California, after being air lifted by helicopter from the company’s facilities in Bonny Doon near Santa Cruz. The aircraft first flew in January (in Bonny Doon) and had made 38 flights by March 24, reaching speeds of more than 90 mph (145 km/h). The resumption of flight testing builds on Joby’s ambitious program to gather data for certification. The Santa Cruz, California-based eVTOL developer has already set multiple records, including flying at speeds greater than 200 mph (320 km/h) and at ranges beyond 150 miles (240 km). 

The news comes shortly after Joby announced it had submitted an area-specific certification plan to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In what it called an industry first, Joby said on March 22 that the plan focused on cabin safety, including passenger seats and occupant restraints inside the aircraft. “With more than two-thirds of our means of compliance now agreed with the FAA, we’re looking forward to maintaining that momentum with the submission of further certification plans in the near future,” Didier Papadopoulos, head of programs and systems at Joby, said in a statement.