Joby Aviation (NYSE:JOBY) announced on Wednesday that it has expanded its flight test program to include flying with a pilot on board the aircraft.
Four members of Joby’s (JOBY) flight test team have now piloted flights on board pre-production prototype aircraft. The pilots completed a series of initial tests that included free thrustborne hovers and forward transitions to semi-thrustborne flight. The testing took place at the eVTOL company’s Pilot Production Facility in Marina, California and complements ongoing flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base with U.S. Air Force pilots.
During the testing, Joby pilots assessed the ease of conducting a number of tasks and maneuvers that pilots will be required to perform during normal operations, including vertical takeoffs, accelerating and transitioning to forward flight, runway centerline tracking, and decelerating to a vertical landing on a representative landing pad. Evaluation of these mission task elements will support the certification of the Joby aircraft as well as the company’s ongoing work with the Department of Defense.
To date, the majority of Joby’s (JOBY) flight testing has been piloted remotely from a ground control station, using state-of-the-art communications technology and software. This has allowed the company to generate a vast amount of data on the performance of the aircraft across a broad range of flight conditions.
Shares of Joby Aviation (JOBY) showed a 1.25% gain in afternoon trading on Wednesday. The eVTOL stock is well off its 2023 highs, but still up more than 80% for the year.
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