Joby Completes First Fully Piloted Transition Flights, Reaching New Testing Milestone
Piloted transition flights mark another step toward FAA certification and Joby’s planned mid-year launch in Dubai.
(Santa Cruz, CA) Joby Aviation (NYSE: JOBY) announced today that its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft successfully completed its first full transition flight with a pilot onboard at the company’s test site in Marina, California on April 22nd, marking another step in the company’s efforts to certify its eVTOL aircraft.
Photo of Joby’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle, which the company’s Chief Test Flight James “Buddy” Denham flew and fully transitioned – marking the aircraft’s first piloted transition flight – on April 22nd above the company’s facilities in Marina, California, courtesy of Joby Aviation.
The milestone flight was completed by Joby Chief Test Pilot James “Buddy” Denham. Denham, who has flown more than 60 different aircraft types, joined Joby in 2019 after retiring from Naval Air Systems Command where he led the research and development of the joint US-UK Unified Control Concept that was successfully integrated into the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter, according to today’s press release from Joby.
Commenting on the flight, Denham said: “I’m honored to have played a role in this historic moment. Designing and flying an aircraft that can seamlessly transition between vertical and cruise flight has long been considered one of the most challenging technological feats in aerospace, but our team has developed and built an aircraft that makes it feel like an everyday task. The aircraft flew exactly as expected, with excellent handling qualities and low pilot workload.”
The transition flight involved a vertical takeoff, acceleration to wingborne cruise flight, and a vertical landing. The aircraft used for the test was the latest to come off Joby’s production line.
Since completing the landmark first full transition flight with a pilot onboard on April 22nd, Joby has completed multiple transition flights with three different pilots at the controls — and has become the first company to routinely perform inhabited testing of an electric air taxi from hover to wingborne flight, per Joby.
“Achieving this milestone is hugely significant for Joby,” said Didier Papadopoulos, President of Aircraft OEM at Joby. “It not only demonstrates the high level of confidence we have in the performance of the aircraft… it also paves the way to starting TIA flight testing with FAA pilots onboard.”
Joby has now completed multiple piloted transition flights with three different test pilots. The company is on track to begin flight testing in Dubai later this year, supporting plans to launch commercial operations in the region.
Joby’s all-electric air taxi is built to carry a pilot and up to four passengers at speeds reaching 200 mph (321 km/h), delivering fast transport with lower noise than helicopters and no operating emissions, according to the company’s website.
