Dayton Manufacturer Joby Is First To Fly With eVTOL Under White House Advanced Aircraft Program
Dayton air taxi producer Joby Aviation will be the first company to fly under a White House effort to meant to integrate new advanced aircraft into the nation’s airspace.
Upcoming Joby flights above Texas in the next four or so days will be the first time an Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) air taxi will fly under the White House-backed eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), Joby said Thursday, Sept. 10.
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The flights will depend on weather and other conditions. But the idea is to send this new kind of aircraft into active commercial airspace, connecting major airports, logistics hubs, and corporate campuses.
It’s a national first for Joby’s type of aircraft, electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (or “eVTOL”) that launch and land like helicopters, a Joby spokeswoman said.
Joby competitor Beta Technologies is claiming a first flight for a vehicle of its making, an electric conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft that requires forward motion to push air over its wings.
The demonstration is to fly out of Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, with Joby's electric air taxi (tail number N545JX) flying regional routes connecting Perot Field to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, according to Joby.
I'm incredibly excited by the potential for vertical lift in Texas, a state with the infrastructure, expertise, and partnerships to help lead the next era of American aviation, JoeBen Bevirt, founder and chief executive of Joby, said in the company’s announcement.
“Advanced Air Mobility vehicles are the future of aviation and these demonstrations in Texas are critical to getting us there,” Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford said. “The FAA is leveraging data from test flights in Texas and across the country to ensure these new aircraft integrate safely into the airspace.”
California-based Joby makes battery-powered aircraft that take off and land like helicopters and cruise like airplanes. The company makes propeller blades in a former U.S. Postal Service sorting facility at Dayton International Airport and earlier this year spent $62 million on a Vandalia industrial property for long-term aircraft assembly work.
Joby has spoken of plans to assemble four aircraft a month in 2027.
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