Joby Aviation, a maker of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, has announced that its new electric air taxi has entered Type Inspection Authorization, the final phase of Federal Aviation Administration certification, and has completed the first phase of the FAA testing program to receive TIA.
The first tests took place in the cockpit of the company’s electric air taxi. FAA pilots used FAA-conforming hardware in Marina, California, to conduct the tests, the company said.
TIA, the fifth phase of the FAA’s certification process, includes tests of conceptual design, requirements definition, compliance planning, implementation and post-certification.
The recently-completed tests measured pilot workload under various expected flight conditions and the physical ergonomics of the flight deck, as well as other human aspects of aircraft safety. Four FAA test pilots completed three days of TIA testing as part of the program.
Earlier this month, Joby completed static load testing on an FAA-conforming tail structure for the aircraft, marking the first time the eVTOL maker had tested a major aerostructure for FAA credit. The company is the first eVTOL manufacturer to have completed three of the five stages of the FAA-type certification program.
“As well as continuing the for-credit testing of components, aerostructures and systems that is already underway, we are targeting the start of TIA flight testing in 2025 with our first FAA-conforming aircraft, which is currently being built at our facility in Marina, California,” said JoeBen Bevirt, CEO and founder of Joby Aviation.
Source: Joby Aviation
