Aircraft Completes First Full Piloted Transition from Vertical to Horizontal Flight

Joby Aviation has reason to celebrate, recently completing its first full transition from vertical to horizontal flight with a pilot on board. This puts the aircraft one step closer to achieving commercial operation.

“Achieving this milestone is hugely significant for Joby,” stated Didier Papadopolous, President of Aircraft OEM at Joby. “It not only demonstrates the high level of confidence we have in the performance of the aircraft as we prepare for commercial service in Dubai, it also paves the way to starting TIA flight testing with FAA pilots onboard.”

The manufacturer’s all-electric air taxi demonstrated its in-flight transition capabilities for the first time in 2017. Hundreds of these flights have been completed since then, with all of them being uncrewed until now.

With Chief Test Pilot James “Buddy” Denham at the controls, the aircraft took off from Joby’s test facility in Marina, California, on April 22. This air taxi is the latest to roll off Joby’s Marina production line, registered N544JX. It used helicopter-like vertical propulsion to get off the ground before beginning its transition to wingborne forward flight. The aircraft then reverted to vertical configuration to land back on the runway.

“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,” Denham expressed. “The aircraft flew exactly as expected, with excellent handling qualities and low pilot workload.”

Joby didn’t stop there, quickly sending up three pilots for six more tests in the following week. This sets the company far ahead of other electric air taxi manufacturers, with Joby now routinely testing the hover-to-cruise transition while crewed.

FMI: www.jobyaviation.com