California-based Joby has received its Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which now allows the company to operate its electric vertical and take-off (eVTOL) aircraft on a commercial basis. However, before the aircraft becomes fully operational Joby still needs to obtain two further FAA approvals, the aircraft’s Type Certificate and also a Production Certificate.
The company had not anticipated receiving its Part 135 certification until the second half of the year, so it is well on schedule to launch its eVTOL services in 2024. The five-stage process to obtain Part 135 certification involved the submission of more than 850 pages of manuals for approval while Joby’s initial cadre of pilots was also required to demonstrate mastery of the company’s procedures and training under FAA observation.
Bonny Simi, Head of Air Operations and People at Joby, and one of the company’s FAA-approved pilots, said: “The procedures we’ve prepared lay a foundation for our future eVTOL operations. 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,” adding that: “Receiving this certificate ahead of schedule is a testament to the incredible dedication and hard work of our team.”
Recently Joby announced its partnership with aviation training specialist CAE to develop and qualify flight simulation training devices that the Company will use to train commercially rated pilots. Joby’s eVTOL aircraft is designed to cover a range of 150 miles on a single charge, flying at speeds of up to 200 mph. The aircraft has successfully met its target for take-off and landing low noise emissions after acoustic testing with NASA.