Joby Flies First FAA-Conforming eVTOL Aircraft

Joby Aviation has begun flying the first “FAA-conforming” eVTOL prototype that it intends to use for type inspection authorization (TIA) testing later this year, the company announced on Wednesday. 

According to the U.S. manufacturer, TIA represents the final step in the type certification process that will pave the way for commercial operations with the four-passenger eVTOL aircraft. 

Registered as N547JX, the FAA-conforming prototype that took flight this week is the first of five that Joby will dedicate to “for-credit” certification flight tests. The other four are already in production at the company’s recently expanded pilot manufacturing line in Marina, California. 

Following initial tests with Joby pilots on board, FAA pilots will visit Joby in Marina to conduct TIA testing—a rigorous process that will likely involve hundreds of flights over the course of a year or longer. 

In the meantime, Joby will be conducting demonstration flights with its earlier “company-conforming” prototypes as part of the federal government’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program and preparing to fly its first passengers in Dubai this year. 

The start of the TIA process marks the company’s transition from developmental testing to FAA-verified, “for-credit” certification testing. “Seeing this aircraft fly means everything to our team,” said Didier Papadopoulos, president of aircraft OEM at Joby. “It’s the validation of years of hard work and marks our entry into the final phase of bringing this aircraft to market.”

“After focusing on ‘for credit’ testing at both the equipment and system levels, we’re now moving into the final phase of aircraft-level evaluations,” Papadopoulos said. “This is evidence that our rigorous design and certification process is paying off, and we look forward to welcoming FAA pilots to Marina in due course.”