MARINA – Joby Aviation, the company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service including at its plant in Marina, is welcoming the release of new Federal Aviation Administration rules designed to enable the operation of its aircraft in the United States.
On Tuesday, the FAA issued a final rule for the qualifications and training that instructors and pilots must have to fly aircraft in this “powered-lift” category. The rule also addresses their operational requirements, including minimum safe altitudes and required visibility.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it is ready for powered lift, which will be the first completely new category of civil aircraft since helicopters were introduced in the 1940s. Powered lift operations include air taxis, cargo delivery and a variety of operations within urban and rural areas.
“The rule is the final piece in the puzzle for safely introducing these aircraft in the near term,” said the FAA in its press release. “The opportunities for the use of powered lift operations are far reaching, from transporting passengers in urban areas and short-haul operations such as air ambulance services and cargo operations to potentially serving smaller communities over time.”
Joby Aviation said that with the final rule, the FAA “lays the groundwork necessary for Joby to launch commercial passenger service in the U.S., once the company has received type certification of its aircraft.”
In February, Joby became the first developer of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft to complete the third of five stages of the Federal Aviation Administration type certification process.
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“The regulation published (Tuesday) will ensure the U.S. continues to play a global leadership role in the development and adoption of clean flight,” said JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby, in a release. “Delivering ahead of schedule is a testament to the dedication, coordination and hard work of the rulemaking team.”
Joby Aviation’s aircraft is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph, offering high-speed mobility with a small fraction of the noise produced by helicopters and zero operating emissions.
According to the FAA, this final rule adopts permanent amendments and a Special Federal Aviation Regulation for a period of ten years to: facilitate the certification of powered-lift pilots, clarify operating rules applicable to operations involving a powered-lift and finalize other amendments which are necessary to integrate powered-lift into the National Airspace System.
“The FAA will continue to prioritize the safety of our system as we work to seamlessly integrate innovative technology and operations. This final rule provides the necessary framework to allow powered lift aircraft to safely operate in our airspace,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker in a release. “Powered lift aircraft are the first new category of aircraft in nearly 80 years and this historic rule will pave the way for accommodating wide-scale Advanced Air Mobility operations in the future.”
Joby Aviation has been doing business and developing a manufacturing facility in Marina for about the past seven years where it launched production of its aircraft at its Pilot Production Plant with the first aircraft rolling off the line in June 2023.
In April, Joby broke ground on its new 220,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Marina, expecting to begin operations in 2025 and more than doubling its footprint while enabling the company to deliver 25 aircraft a year. The second production prototype aircraft to roll off the company’s pilot production line was the backdrop for the ground-breaking ceremony.
The aviation company has testing facilities, which include its integrated test lab and its flight-testing capabilities, in Marina.