New FAA rules issued for ‘powered takeoff’ planes like the Santa Cruz-based Joby air taxi – Santa Cruz Sentinel

MARINA – Joby Aviation, the company that develops electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, including its plant in Marina, welcomes the Federal Aviation Administration’s publication of new rules designed to allow 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 airplanes in this “powered takeoff” category. The rule also addresses its 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 entirely 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 last piece of the puzzle for safely introduce these aircraft in the short term”the FAA said in its press release. “The opportunities for the use of electric elevator operations are far-reaching, from transporting passengers in urban areas and short-haul operations such as air ambulance services and freight operations, to potentially serving smaller communities over time.” “.

Joby Aviation said that with the final rule, the FAA “lays the necessary foundation for Joby to launch commercial passenger service in the U.S., once the company has received type certification for its aircraft.”

A Joby S4 electric plane is built at Joby Aviation’s manufacturing facility in Marina, California, Monday, June 24, 2024. Joby plans to use the plane as an air taxi service in 2025 that will carry a pilot and four passengers to higher speed. at 200mph. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

Aircraft assembly technician Eriksen Digman, of Monterey, works on a Joby S4 electric airplane at Joby Aviation’s manufacturing facility in Marina, Calif., Monday, June 24, 2024. Joby plans to use the airplane as a taxi service air in 2025 that will carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

Joby Aviation’s electric air taxi. (Joby Aviation/TNS)

On June 24, 2024, Joby’s hydrogen electric technology demonstrator aircraft completed a 523-mile flight over Marina, with no in-flight emissions except water. (Photo courtesy of Joby Aviation)

A full-scale mock-up of the Joby electric air taxi on display at the 2024 Farnborough Airshow. With a wingspan of 39 feet and 21 feet long, it seats four passengers and one pilot. (Dominic Gates/The Seattle Times/TNS)

Two of Joby’s battery-electric production aircraft prototypes at Marina, with the company’s hydrogen electric technology demonstrator in flight above. (Photo courtesy of Joby Aviation)

At the inauguration of Joby’s pilot production line expansion in April 2024, the second production aircraft prototype to roll off the company’s production line was the backdrop to the ceremony in which workers Joby and others were allowed a close-up view of the plane. (James Herrera/Monterey Herald)

Joby Aviation, a company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, welcomed the release of new FAA rules designed to allow the operation of Joby aircraft in the United States. (James Herrera/Monterey Herald)

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A Joby S4 electric plane is built at Joby Aviation’s manufacturing facility in Marina, California, Monday, June 24, 2024. Joby plans to use the plane as an air taxi service in 2025 that will carry a pilot and four passengers to higher speed. at 200mph. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

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In February, Joby became the first developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft to complete the third of five stages of the Federal Aviation Administration’s type certification process.

“The regulation released (Tuesday) will ensure that the United States continues to play a global leadership role in the development and adoption of clean flight,” JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, said in a statement. “Delivering ahead of schedule is a testament to the dedication, coordination and hard work of the regulatory team.”

Joby Aviation’s aircraft is designed to carry one 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 operational 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 certification of powered lift pilots, clarify operating rules applicable to operations involving a powered lift, and finalize other amendments that are necessary to integrate the powered takeoff system 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 operate safely in our airspace,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement. “Powered lift aircraft are the first new category of aircraft in nearly 80 years and this historic standard will pave the way to accommodate large-scale advanced air mobility operations in the future.”

Joby Aviation has been doing business and developing a manufacturing facility in Marina for approximately the last seven years, where it launched production of its aircraft at its pilot production facility and the first aircraft rolled 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 double its footprint, while allowing the company to deliver 25 aircraft a year. The second production aircraft prototype to roll off the company’s pilot production line was the backdrop for the unveiling ceremony.

The aviation company has testing facilities, including its integrated test laboratory and flight testing capabilities, in Marina.

Originally Posted: October 26, 2024 at 10:39