Joby Cleared For Production Flight Testing

The FAA has issued a special airworthiness certificate to the company after the first production prototype Joby eVTOL came off its Marina, California, production line. The company announced both milestones at an event this week at the factory. The FAA nod sets the stage for certification of the multicopter for a potential certification and entry to service at least close to the company's 2025 target. It will also allow the first delivery of an airframe to the Air Force, which will test its capabilities at Edwards Air Force Base.

If all goes according to plan, Delta Air Lines, which invested in Joby last year, will be the first commercial operator of the Joby and will likely be the first in the world. It was also announced that Toyota's U.S. CEO Tetsuo "Ted" Ogawa would become a member of the board of directors on July 1. Toyota poured $400 million into Joby, enabling its relatively rapid development. Joby founder JoeBen Bevirt said the company is on the cusp of turning all that research and development into a business. "Today’s achievement is the culmination of years of investment in our processes and technology and it marks a major step on our journey to scaled production," he said.