Joby Aviation announced on Thursday that it has received its Part 135 air carrier certificate from the FAA, allowing the company to operate aircraft commercially. Joby reported that the certification process included the submission of more than 850 pages of manuals and required its pilots to “demonstrate mastery of the Company’s procedures and training under FAA observation.” The company, which is also developing an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft intended for its commercial passenger service, plans to use conventional aircraft—namely the Cirrus SR22—to “refine systems and procedures” prior to beginning eVTOL service.
“The procedures we’ve prepared lay a foundation for our future eVTOL operations,” said Bonny Simi, Joby head of air operations and people. “Over the coming months, we will use our Part 135 certificate to exercise the operations and customer technology platforms that will underpin our multi-modal ridesharing service, while also refining our procedures to ensure seamless journeys for our customers.”
Before launching eVTOL operations, which it is targeting for 2024, Joby noted that it still needs type and production certificates for its aircraft. The company’s five-seat, piloted eVTOL is expected to travel at speeds of up to 200 MPH and have a maximum single-charge range of 150 miles. Joby faces challenges including a recent change in the FAA’s approach to eVTOL certification and the crash of one of its uncrewed eVTOL prototypes during a flight test earlier this year.
Why bother with the “flying” sewing machine. People are making good money with the proven Cirrus platform with two solid wings and a BRS system. No coal-charged batteries needed for its true flight. These battery-powered Rube Goldbergs will go the way of the Terror-Fugia.
These in particular may never make it, but something will. And, oddly, coal-powered electrics create less overall pollution than gasoline burners, especially if the latter spews lead.
Odd.
What’s the plan? Electric helicopters as airborne taxis avoiding the Class B airspace in the major cities? This is a serious downside regardless of the method of propulsion.
This is like a saying a new miracle drug company just got FDA approval….to sell aspirin.
HELP! I keep begging the fine folks at AvWeb to stop biting on these smoke and mirrors eVTOL press releases of non-accomplishments as news stories. I can see why AP News or Bloomberg, who couldn’t find magnetic north with a whiskey compass, keep thinking these are newsworthy, but please, lovable AvWeb folks, you know this is a joke right?
135 certificates are tied to the certified airplanes used. Joby’s aircraft does not exist at this point in time beyond an experimental proof-of-concept. So this “milestone” is in NO WAY related to their project to spend millions on developing and certifying an electric powered lift airframe and it’s powerplants, and power sources; and is in no way an approval of the still-to-be-developed processes for training, operations, and maintenance that these non-existent aircraft will need.
This is a 135 certificate for one or more (they don’t say how many – it’s important) SR22s. Not that getting a 135 cert isn’t a PITA, but anyone, and I mean anyone who knows an A&P, has a comm ticket, can thumb through a hazmat powerpoint, buy a CFI a beer, and can aim clean pee in a cup can get a 135 certificate if they are up for some groveling down at the FSDO. There are even websites that will sell you all the paperwork for a guaranteed complete 135 application for a few thousand bucks. There is almost no barrier to entry to getting a 135 cert in under two months for any person dragged off the street.
For a company that has spent countless millions, to say “The Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate is one of three FAA approvals required for Joby to operate its revolutionary electric” is extremely misleading. (Yes that’s true, just like it’s true that Saudi Arabia is in the top 70 countries in the winter Olympics). But THIS part 135 certificate that they pat themselves on the back for is not in any way a validation of anything they’ve been working on. The two have nothing to do with each other since most of the 14 CFR Part 135 is aircraft specific, and again, Joby’s marquee aircraft and its powerplant and power source and avionics have not cleared any real stage gates for certification.
This is even for a different aircraft class !!! since they eVTOL is now powered lift and this is a 135 cert for a small airplane. Apples and Oranges since all of the powered lift pilots in the world could probably fit in my backyard, and all the powered lift instructors in the world could fit in my SUV, so the training might be a little different…
By this logic I could get a single-pilot 135 cert in my C172 and then send out the press releases that this “accomplishment” is an important certification I will need to realize my brilliant vision of urban mobility hydrogen-filled dirigibles, and everyone will put me on the front page..
Certainly is strange, I can’t see how it helps their claimed purpose to exist.
Regarding why AvWeb keeps printing these articles, it is to stimulate this kind of reader comments to entertain them. They probably LTAO at some of the comments and strings they generate.
Well, certainly many readers who don’t have a clue about aviation, but there is some genuine humo(u)r.
Of course AvWeb is now selling advertising and has more issues to fill with news.
:-o)