The board of Jaunt Air Mobility is rebooting its eVTOL aircraft program with the appointment of chief technology officer Martin Peryea as interim CEO. He has taken over from Kaydon Stanzione, who has left the company.
In a statement issued on October 5, the Jaunt board said that it had “determined that a change in leadership was needed to advance the development of the Jaunt Journey aircraft for urban air mobility.” It added that “the company leadership is committed to building confidence with investors, suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders.”
Based on its Reduced Rotor Operating Speed Aircraft (ROSA) technology, Jaunt is developing a family of eVTOL aircraft, starting with the Jaunt Journey, which in June 2019 was selected by Uber for use in the ride-hailing group’s planned air taxi network. Other versions of the aircraft would include the Jaunt Jambulance (for emergency medical operations), the Jaunt Joust (for military use), and the Jaunt Geap (for package delivery).
Jaunt describes its aircraft as a “compound helicopter” since it features a main rotor and a fixed-wing with propellers. As such, the U.S. company intends to achieve type certification under the FAA’s existing Part 29 rules for rotorcraft.
The timeline for the Jaunt program has slipped by almost a year, in part due to disruption caused by the Covid pandemic. The company is now planning to start low-rate production in 2026, with type certification by the end of that year. This will be a piloted aircraft, with an autonomous version targeted to receive approval in 2029.
The Jaunt team has started test-flying a Jaunt Technology Demonstrator to acquire flight data to support design work. A full-scale type certification model is expected to start flights in 2023.
Jaunt is working with three established aerospace groups on the program. BAE Systems’ Controls and Avionics Solutions division is working on power management, while Triumph Aerospace Structures is providing engineering and manufacturing support and Honeywell is responsible for avionics, navigation systems, the electric propulsion system, and connectivity systems. The company says it is in discussions with a possible manufacturing partner outside the U.S.
Jaunt Air Mobility was cofounded in 2019 by Carter Aviation, Martin Peryea, and Kaydon Stanzione, who still holds an investment position in the startup. The company acquired the patented ROSA technology from Carter Aviation, whose board of directors oversees Jaunt. It has raised some investment from private investors and says it is actively working on a Series A round of funding.
Peryea, who has a master's degree in aerospace from Cornell University, formerly held senior engineering roles with Bell Helicopter (for 33 years) and then with Triumph Aerospace.
