Joby Aviation Completes First Piloted Transition Flights
US-based electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer, Joby Aviation (Joby), has taken a major step forward in its journey to launch electric air taxi services, successfully completing piloted test flights that saw its aircraft transition from vertical take-off to horizontal cruise flight—and back again.
The flights mark a historic moment in Joby’s test program, making it the first company to routinely perform these complex transitions with a pilot onboard.
The full transition from hover to wingborne flight is a defining feature of the Joby aircraft. It enables the aircraft to combine the vertical take-off and landing abilities of a helicopter with the speed and efficiency of a fixed-wing aircraft.
This hybrid capability is designed to offer fast, point-to-point travel, allowing passengers to skip traffic and reach destinations more quickly.
Joby has been working toward this moment for years. In 2017, the company completed its first remotely piloted transition flight using a full-scale prototype.
Since then, it has logged over 40,000 miles of test flights, including hundreds of automated transitions and more than a hundred piloted flights in hover or low-speed modes.
The first piloted transition flight took place on April 22, 2025, at Joby’s test facility in Marina, California.
It was flown by Joby’s Chief Test Pilot, James “Buddy” Denham, a former US Navy test pilot with experience flying over 60 aircraft types. Denham took off vertically in aircraft N544JX, transitioned to cruise flight, and landed vertically on the runway.
“I’m honored to have played a role in this historic moment,” said Denham. “Designing and flying an aircraft that can seamlessly transition between vertical and cruise flight has long been considered one of the most challenging technological feats in aerospace, but our team has developed and built an aircraft that makes it feel like an everyday task. The aircraft flew exactly as expected, with excellent handling qualities and low pilot workload.”
Rigorous Testing Preceded the Piloted Milestone
Since that initial flight, Joby has completed additional piloted transitions with two more test pilots.
“Achieving this milestone is hugely significant for Joby,” said Didier Papadopolous, President of Aircraft OEM at Joby.
“It not only demonstrates the high level of confidence we have in the performance of the aircraft as we prepare for commercial service in Dubai, it also paves the way to starting TIA flight testing with FAA pilots onboard.”
Furthermore, the company has taken a deliberate and systematic approach to flight testing. Before piloted transitions, Joby conducted thousands of ground-based evaluations in its Integrated Test Lab, which replicates the aircraft’s core systems—including propulsion, actuators, and flight control software.
Additionally, testing at Edwards Air Force Base helped verify the aircraft’s system redundancy through simulated failures like motor-out and battery-out scenarios. In each case, the aircraft maintained controlled flight and vertical landing using just four of its six propellers.
Joby currently operates five aircraft in its test fleet, with two stationed at Edwards for joint evaluation with defense partners. The company has also completed flight demonstrations in New York City, Japan, and South Korea, expanding its global test footprint.
The all-electric Joby aircraft is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds up to 200 mph (321 km/h).
It offers zero operating emissions and significantly less noise than conventional helicopters, positioning it as a key player in the future of urban mobility.
The company remains on track to deliver an aircraft to Dubai by mid-2025, with plans to begin local flight testing ahead of launching passenger operations in the region.