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Joby Marks New Milestone in Getting Its Air Taxi Certified, No eVTOL Crash Can Stop It

As unfortunate as Joby Aviation’s recent eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) prototype crash was, the company remains determined to conquer the skies with its air taxis as soon as possible. And while many thought that the accident will slow down the certification process for the Californian company, the aircraft developer is now proving them wrong.
Joby eVTOL air taxi 7 photos
Photo: Joby Aviation
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Joby recently announced that it’s entered the fourth of five stages to get its Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). The document is required for the aerospace company to be able to use its eVTOL aircraft for air taxi services in the U.S. and launch its aerial ridesharing service, hopefully in 2024.

In this fourth phase, the FAA will observe Joby’s staff of pilot instructors applying their training procedures according to the company’s manuals, to make sure they comply with regulations.

Joby filed the application for the certificate last June and has already managed to successfully get through the first three stages, boasting that is now ahead of schedule. It hopes to complete the Part 135 certification process by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the aerospace company is also working on constantly signing partnerships all over the world to ensure its commercial passenger service will be available in as many areas on the globe as possible. It also teamed up with CAE (Canadian Aviation Electronics) to develop flight simulation devices for training future eVTOL pilots.

With a claimed range of 150 miles (240 km) on a charge and the ability to reach speeds of up to 200 mph (over 320 kph), Joby’s electric air taxi can carry up to four passengers (pilot not included).

The N542AJ eVTOL prototype that crashed last month (on February 16) was pushed beyond its limits during those test flights, reaching speeds of 270 mph (435 kph). It was unmanned at the time of the crash so there were no victims. According to a preliminary report issued by the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), the accident was caused by a component failure, with no further details being offered.
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About the author: Cristina Mircea
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Cristina’s always found writing more comfortable to do than speaking, which is why she chose print over broadcast media in college. When she’s not typing, she also loves riding non-motorized two-wheelers, going on hikes with her dog, and rocking her electric guitars.
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