Joby conducts FAA testing, moves into final certification

In late December, Joby Aviation Inc. (Santa Cruz, Calif., U.S.) announced a couple of additional testing breakthroughs for its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. This involved completion of aerostructure tests for certification credit with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), soon after entering the final phase of aircraft certification.

Joby successfully completed static load testing of the tail structure, marking the first time the company has tested a major aerostructure of its aircraft for-credit with FAA representatives present. The tests took place in Santa Cruz as part of a rigorous testing campaign covering all of the structures, components and systems on the aircraft, producing data that is required for FAA type certification.

Didier Papadopoulos, president of Aircraft OEM at Joby, notes that the company’s “vertically-integrated approach to aircraft development gives us the capability to design, build and test entire aerostructures in-house, providing Joby with a strong foundation to rapidly and efficiently continue to bring innovative technologies to market.”

During the tests, Joby engineers applied loads to the aircraft’s tail structure that far exceed the maximum forces the structure is expected to experience during flight. The FAA-conforming tail structure used in the test, along with the test procedure, instrumentation and applied loads, are outlined in Joby’s certification documents, which have been approved by the FAA as part of the certification process.

Following this work, on Dec. 20 Joby conducted its first FAA testing under Type Inspection Authorization (“TIA”). The testing involved FAA pilots evaluating human factors elements of flight safety using an FAA-conforming flight deck in a Joby simulator.

TIA testing is considered the final phase of the type certification process, which paves the way for an aircraft to begin commercial passenger operations. This phase involves FAA test pilots conducting testing to validate an aircraft’s performance and safety in accordance with previously approved certification test plans.

“As well as continuing the for-credit testing of components, aerostructures and systems that is already underway, we are targeting the start of TIA flight testing in 2025 with our first FAA-conforming aircraft, which is currently being built at our facility in Marina, California,” notes JoeBen Bevirt, CEO and founder at Joby Aviation.

The tests were conducted according to a set of criteria outlined in an FAA-approved human factors certification test plan and measured pilot workload under various expected flight conditions, physical ergonomics of the flight deck, as well as other human factors aspects of aircraft safety. Four FAA test pilots completed 3 days of TIA testing during the engagement.

Joby claims that it is the first eVTOL manufacturer to complete three of five stages of the FAA type certification program and is more than 40% complete with the company’s work for the fourth stage.