Joby gets cert for second airframe

[PMD]

Not my favourite part of aviation, but just as golf carts make sense for downtown urban transport even the uber-polluting lithium battery stuff might have some potential for short range VTOL use. In that vein, Joby has managed to get FAA on board for a second airframe

https://www.thomasnet.com/insights/joby-aviation-gets-certified-for-second-air-taxi-prototype/?ecms_id=1b524ebe-5edb-4618-ad6c-5378c08038dd&ecms_short=ART6467&doc_type=ted_video_article&parent_id=232e3c9e-6ff1-48d3-9f76-89fbec538ce3&utm_content=featuredvideo&linktype=title&channel=email&campaign_type=thomas_industry_update&campaign_name=tiu220126&utm_campaign=tiu220126&utm_medium=email&utm_source=thomas_industry_update&tinid=227845180

 

[Jay Kempf]

Yeah, one Experimental R&D cert maybe not even man carrying is a blot on the progression of a certified production design. It is a cert for ONE airframe so a type certificate of a production run of ONE with a limited use classification.

There are a lot of these out there. Many are great engineering programs moving along the eFLIGHT continuum. But it ain't an announcement of a production aircraft being readied for launch.

There seems to be this trend where these announcements are made and then a cascade of general news reporters then confidently saying that this is why zero emissions airliners are going to be flooding the market in the next few years.

It is getting tiring. The general public has no idea what to believe but if they dream of this stuff it is a sort of validation. Unfounded but validation.

 

[TFF]

Like racing cars that run in stock based classes. A number has to be produced to call it production. Plenty of famous history on those.

I would say for an aircraft no less than ten copies of man flying produced by the company to be holomologated as certified. No flashy claims will be considered.

 

[PMD]

These guys (and gals, no doubt) are a LONG way from the traditional mad scientist zealot flailing at the keyboard in his mother's basement. This is a significant engineering effort that seems to be taken seriously by DoD, AND has Toyota and Uber on board. I am not ready to dismiss anything they are doing in any way. Unlike the usual aviation dreamer, I feel certain this lot will be selling and flying man carrying craft in the foreseeable future. As most know: I am the ultimate anti-Lithium guy and think almost anything going down that road is disgusting, but this is one I am willing to give a bit of a break to. I envy them and must congratulate them in making the resources available to do such an ambitious project.

 

[Jay Kempf]

Like racing cars that run in stock based classes. A number has to be produced to call it production. Plenty of famous history on those.

I would say for an aircraft no less than ten copies of man flying produced by the company to be holomologated as certified. No flashy claims will be considered.

Doesn't work that way with the FAA. You can go a long way down the certification process without producing anything but paper.

 

[TFF]

Cleared to build should be separated from build. In the auto world if you don’t build enough it’s experimental, you can’t claim it’s production. Nothing stopping you from building. Of course what you want is a company that makes enough GT40s, GTOs, Cobras, or 917s to beat the system and build experimental enough to be production. It’s about the claim not about the hardware.

 

[bmcj]

Joby eVTOL prototype involved in accident

One of Joby Aviation's two experimental prototype electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft was involved in an accident February 16 during a test flight.

www.aopa.org