Joby Submits First Certification Plan

Joby Aviation says it’s taken a big step toward certification of its eVTOL aircraft with the first submission of its novel staged approach to the process. Rather than present the finished aircraft for certification, Joby is conducting the first ever “area-specific certification plan” for the tilt rotor design. The first plan covers cabin safety and involves the integrity of the materials, seats and restraints. There are several more area-specific plans to be submitted but Joby didn’t detail those in its news release. It hopes to be flying paying passengers in the aircraft by 2024.

“Today’s milestone is the result of many years of hard work by both the Joby team and the FAA,” said Didier Papadopoulos, head of Programs and Systems at Joby. “It’s also another indication of the great momentum we have on the certification front. With more than two thirds of our means of compliance now agreed with the FAA, we’re looking forward to maintaining that momentum with the submission of further certification plans in the near future.” Earlier this year, the company completed its first set of conformity tests on the composite structure of the aircraft.