Commercial eVTOL aircraft could soon be on the horizon as US-based Joby moves one step closer to bringing this revolutionary new technology to its home country.
Joby is one step closer to bringing commercial eVTOL to the American market. Credit: Joby Aviation
The company recently announced it has begun Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conformity testing - a crucial next step to getting its aircraft into the skies.
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Joby is currently the only company to have signed a G-1 (stage 4) certification with the FAA and has officially entered the "implementation phase" for its aircraft. It is a goal it has been working on for around seven years.
Its first set of tests, which were overseen by an FAA representative, were completed in Morgan Hill, California. These trials were designed to confirm the material strength of the aircraft's structure, which can then be analysed for improvement as the certification process continues.
Each system and structure of the Joby aircraft will enter the implementation phase and begin conformity testing following completion and approval of requirements definition and compliance planning.
During this time, it is expected the company will have to perform thousands of inspections to determine whether the machines are airworthy for it will be approved by the FAA.
"After years of development and company testing, we’re excited to formally begin the process of conformity testing", said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby.
“We began engaging with the FAA in 2015 to lay the groundwork for certification of our aircraft, and today we move closer to bringing fast, clean and convenient aerial ridesharing to the world".
The first of the FAA's inspections were completed back in November and confirmed the epoxy and carbon fibre composites were ideal for the type of eVTOL needed - allegedly being faster and lighter than its competitors.
“Entering this stage of testing demonstrates that we’re capable of manufacturing composite parts in accordance with their design, our quality system is capable of producing conforming composite parts for the aircraft, and that we have the requisite traceability and design verification processes in place to progress toward our type and production certifications,” said Lina Spross, quality and supply chain lead at Joby.
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Joby is also working to bring its aircraft to other parts of the world, seen with its partnership with SKT to bring eVTOL to the high population density centres of South Korea.
It stands to become the first public transport system of its kind in the US and represents a revolutionary new form of low carbon transport. However, there are still concerns the sector needs significant innovations, such as advancements in electric motors or computing technology, to gather mass market appeal.
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