Joby Aviation has entered the final phase of certification for its electric air taxi, having conducted its first Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) testing under Type Inspection Authorization (TIA).
The testing involved pilots from the FAA evaluating human factors elements of flight safety using an FAA-conforming flight deck in a Joby simulator.
TIA testing is considered the final phase of the type certification process, which paves the way for an aircraft to begin commercial passenger operations. This phase involves FAA test pilots conducting testing to validate an aircraft’s performance and safety in accordance with previously-approved certification test plans.
JoeBen Bevirt, CEO and Founder at Joby Aviation, said, “This milestone demonstrates Joby’s continued industry leadership and is a reflection of the maturity of our test program and the rigorous company testing we’ve already completed.”
“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.”
The tests were conducted according to a set of criteria outlined in an FAA-approved human factors certification test plan and measured pilot workload under various expected flight conditions, physical ergonomics of the flight deck, as well as other human factors aspects of aircraft safety. Four FAA test pilots completed three days of TIA testing during the engagement.
In another major achievement earlier this month, Joby announced it has successfully completed static load testing on a FAA-conforming tail structure of the aircraft, marking the first time the Company had tested a major aerostructure for FAA credit.
