NAVY – Joby Aviation, the company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, including its Marina factory, welcomes the release of new Federal Aviation Administration rules designed to allow the operation of its aircraft in the United States.

On Tuesday, the FAA issued a final rule regarding the qualifications and training that instructors and pilots must complete to fly airplanes in this “powered-lift” category. The rule also addresses their operational requirements, including minimum safe altitudes and required visibility.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it is ready for motorized transport, which will be the first entirely new category of civil aircraft since the introduction of helicopters in the 1940s. Motorized transport operations include air taxis, delivery freight and various operations in urban and rural areas.

“The rule is the last piece of the puzzle for introduce these aircraft safely in the short term“, the FAA said in its release. “The opportunities for using motorized transportation operations are vast, from transporting passengers in urban areas to short-haul operations such as air ambulance services and freight operations to potentially serving smaller communities over time.”

Joby Aviation said that with the final rule, the FAA “lays the necessary foundation for Joby to launch commercial passenger service in the United States, once the company receives type certification of its aircraft.”

A Joby S4 electric airplane is built at the Joby Aviation manufacturing plant in Marina, Calif., Monday, June 24, 2024. Joby plans to use the plane as an air taxi service in 2025 that will carry a pilot and four passengers at higher speeds. at 200 mph. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

Aircraft assembly technician Eriksen Digman, of Monterey, works on a Joby S4 electric airplane at the Joby Aviation manufacturing facility in Marina, Calif., Monday, June 24, 2024. Joby plans to use the aircraft as an air taxi service in 2025 that will carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

Joby Aviation’s electric air taxi. (Joby Aviation/TNS)

On June 24, 2024, Joby’s hydrogen-electric technology demonstration aircraft completed a 523-mile flight over Marina, with no in-flight emissions except in the water. (Photo courtesy of Joby Aviation)

A full-scale model of the Joby electric air taxi on display at the Farnborough Airshow 2024. With a wingspan of 39 feet and 21 feet long, it can accommodate four passengers and a pilot. (Dominic Gates/The Seattle Times/TNS)

Two of Joby’s battery-electric production aircraft prototypes at Marina, with the company’s hydrogen-electric technology demonstrator in flight above. (Photo courtesy of Joby Aviation)

During the inauguration of Joby’s pilot production line expansion in April 2024, the second production aircraft prototype to roll off the company’s production line served as the backdrop for the ceremony at during which Joby workers and others were treated to a close-up view of the plane. (James Herrera/Monterey Herald)

Joby Aviation, a company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, has welcomed the release of new FAA rules designed to allow Joby’s aircraft to operate in the United States. (James Herrera/Monterey Herald)

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A Joby S4 electric airplane is built at the Joby Aviation manufacturing plant in Marina, Calif., Monday, June 24, 2024. Joby plans to use the plane as an air taxi service in 2025 that will carry a pilot and four passengers at higher speeds. at 200 mph. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

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In February, Joby became the first developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft to pass the third of five steps in the Federal Aviation Administration’s type certification process.

“The regulations issued (Tuesday) will ensure that the United States continues to play a global leadership role in the development and adoption of clean flights,” JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, said in a statement. “Delivering ahead of schedule is a testament to the dedication, coordination and hard work of the rulemaking team.”

Joby Aviation’s aircraft is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph, providing high-speed mobility with a small fraction of the noise produced by helicopters and zero operating emissions.

According to the FAA, this final rule adopts permanent amendments and a Special Federal Aviation Regulation for a period of ten years to: facilitate the certification of propeller pilots, clarify operating rules applicable to operations involving a propeller, and finalize other amendments that are necessary to integrate motorized transport into the national airspace system.

“The FAA will continue to prioritize the safety of our system as we work to seamlessly integrate innovative technology and operations. This final rule provides the necessary framework to allow power-propelled aircraft to operate safely in our airspace,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement. “Powered-lift aircraft are the first new category of aircraft in nearly 80 years and this historic rule will pave the way for large-scale adaptation of advanced air mobility operations in the future. »

Joby Aviation has been doing business and developing a manufacturing facility in Marina for approximately seven years, where it launched production of its aircraft at its pilot production plant, with the first aircraft rolling off the line in June 2023.

In April, Joby broke ground on its new 220,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Marina, which is expected to begin operations in 2025 and double its footprint while allowing the company to deliver 25 aircraft per year. The second production prototype aircraft to roll off the company’s pilot production line served as the backdrop for the groundbreaking ceremony.

The aircraft company has testing facilities, which include its integrated test laboratory and flight test capabilities, at Marina.

Originally published: October 26, 2024 at 10:39 a.m.