Joby Aviation completes key aerostructure tests
US-based electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer, Joby Aviation (Joby), recently completed a pivotal series of aerostructure tests for certification credit with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The company has successfully conducted static load testing of the tail structure, representing its first for-credit evaluation of a major aerostructure under FAA oversight.
The rigorous tests, which took place at Joby’s facilities in Santa Cruz, are part of an extensive campaign aimed at producing the necessary data for FAA type certification of the aircraft.
“Completing for-credit static load testing on a major aircraft structure marks an important step towards certification of the Joby aircraft, and we’re very pleased with the results,” said Didier Papadopoulos, President of Aircraft OEM at Joby.
“Reaching this milestone is the culmination of years of hard work across the engineering, testing, certification, and manufacturing teams at Joby.”
Vertically integrated approach
The company highlighted that its vertically integrated approach to aircraft development played a significant role in achieving this milestone.
According to Papadopoulos, this strategy enables the company to design, build, and test entire aerostructures in-house, providing a robust foundation for accelerating the development and deployment of innovative technologies.
During the tests, Joby engineers applied forces on the aircraft’s tail structure that exceeded the maximum it would experience during flight.
Both the FAA-conforming tail structure and the testing process—covering procedures, instrumentation, and applied loads—were outlined in Joby’s certification documents, which have been approved by the FAA as part of the certification process.
Joby’s aircraft has been designed to carry a pilot and up to four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph, offering high-speed travel with significantly reduced noise compared to helicopters and zero operating emissions.
Furthermore, Joby has been making steady progress towards commercialisation.
In August, the company announced that it had completed more than a third of the fourth stage in its five-step type certification process.
Additionally, in October, it secured an additional $500 million investment from its long-term partner, Toyota, to accelerate the certification and commercial production of its eVTOLs.
Moreover, at the inaugural Advanced Air Mobility Symposium, organised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada, in September, Joby presented a letter of intent (LoI) to the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to initiate the process for its air operator certification in the country.