Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Joby Aviation has completed several piloted test flights with its eVTOL aircraft prototype, covering full transition from vertical to cruise flight and back again. On April 29, the company reported that the first such flight happened a week ago on April 22 and that since then, multiple transition flights have been made with three different pilots at the controls.
According to the manufacturer, the start of piloted transition flight tests is an important milestone as it progresses towards type inspection authorization (TIA) flights that are required at the end of the FAA type certification process. Joby has reported that it is now around halfway through the fourth of five certification stages and, in February, indicated that it expects to begin TIA flight testing within the following 12 months.
The company said it is on track to deliver an aircraft to Dubai in the middle of this year to conduct flight testing there. It has an <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/news-article/2024-02-12/dubai-gives-joby-exclusive-rights-local-evtol-air-taxi-market">exclusive agreement </a>to operate air taxi services in that emirate and has indicated that these will be among the first commercial flights in the world with its four-passenger aircraft, with the UAE’s aviation regulator expected to endorse <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/news-article/2024-03-11/faa-finalizes-airworthiness-criteria-jobys-evtol-aircraft">FAA type certification</a>.
Joby achieved its first remotely-piloted transition flight in 2017 and since then has flown more than 40,000 miles with several test aircraft. These have included several hundred remotely-piloted transition flights, and more than a hundred piloted flights in hover and low-speed mode.
<h2>Preparing for FAA Tests</h2>
Earlier this year, FAA pilots and technicians visited the Marina site and flew simulator tests that Joby said were identical to those included in the TIA flight process. Joby said that flight testing conducted at Edwards Air Force Base has been conducted to confirm redundancy in the aircraft design, with ground-based pilots handling simulated in-flight failures, including the loss of motors and battery power.
Joby has an integrated test laboratory that it uses to replicate all the main aircraft systems, including propulsion units, actuators, and software. The company has also conducted demonstration flights in locations including New York City and Japan.
The company’s chief test pilot, James “Buddy” Denham, was at the controls for the first piloted transition flight at its facility in Marina, California. In the latest eVTOL vehicle to leave the production line (tail number N544JX), he took off vertically before climbing and accelerating to fully wingborne flight and then landing vertically.
“Designing and flying an aircraft that can seamlessly transition between vertical and cruise flight has long been considered one of the most challenging technological feats in aerospace, but our team has developed and built an aircraft that makes it feel like an everyday task,” commented Denham, who is a former U.S. Naval Air Systems Command pilot. “The aircraft flew exactly as expected, with excellent handling qualities and low pilot workload.”

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