Joby Aviation’s Post

The aviation industry is undergoing a transformative phase with the emergence of eVTOL (Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) aircraft, leading to increased research and development funding in aerospace engineering. Certifying new eVTOL aircraft involves rigorous processes by regulatory bodies such as the FAA, EASA, and CAA. Engineers leverage simulation software to streamline the certification process, enabling faster and more efficient development. Digital twins, where manufactured parts behave as predicted in simulations, are crucial in building confidence and accelerating the certification of new eVTOL technologies. #eVTOL #AerospaceEngineering #CertificationProcess #DigitalTwin #SimulationSoftware

eVTOL Entry Into Service? Not that soon as expected unless you're cash rich like Joby which has a higher chance. The timeline that's stated by this article was based on a standard commercial aircraft certification, which isn't wrong, but they're missing out on how difficult EASA is on new technology. If you look into the timeline, it took ages for lobbyists to get EASA to come out with the SC-VTOL - simply because fly by wire was something that was out of the "one in a million" failure rate. This was clearly seen by impaired development of the AW-609, which was literally the civil V-22 Osprey - to date they're still in the midst of type certification. So it was only later in the 2020s that EASA gave in because V-22 had a higher failure rate in its class and was still accepted by military use - only because it was the only vehicle in its class that could accomplish the flight profile. This is also the main reason why Joby had a fast-tracked path to civil certification - because it proved that it could fly even with a few propellers inactive. However as I've mentioned Joby had a hull crash in 2022 was determined to be a blade burst event by NTSB, and the bigger question is this - what happens if the same event happens AFTER it gets certified? I'd sincerely hope that they won't face the same issues like Volocopter. And am sure people in the industry knows which player in the industry is flushed with cash now - and it's not the bulk majority. Afterall I'm one of the majority too, despite not needing any infrastructure investments. Haha!

In an article for Aerospace Testing International, Julia Norsetter, J.D. discusses the regulations needed for eVTOL aircraft to take flight, including pilot licensing and operational rules, as well as existing aircraft certification regulations. Learn about the processes to enable these sustainable new technologies.  #ReedSmith #Aviation #eVTOL https://lnkd.in/dJSJdTnj

Elroy Air’s Chaparral C1 finally took flight earlier this week, as the company completed the milestone at its test facility in Byron, California, on November 12th. The Chaparral took flight from Byron Airport, where the Elroy Air Team runs flight test operations. Leveraging both its turbogenerator system and high-power batteries the C1 took off vertically, flew for 57 seconds, and landed successfully. Elroy Air co-founder and CEO David Merrill, said: “This is an exhilarating day for our team and the industry as a whole. In 2017 we had an unconventional idea to develop an autonomous long-range VTOL aircraft that would fill a major capability gap for middle-mile express shipping, humanitarian logistics, and military resupply. On Sunday, our Chaparral C1 became the first turbogenerator-hybrid electric hVTOL aircraft to take flight. This marks a major moment for the industry as hybrid-electric aircraft enable the dual benefits of runway-independent safe redundant propulsion, and long-range flight well in excess of battery power alone. “Our accomplishment puts Elroy Air one step closer to delivering a transformative logistics capability to our customers and partners.” The C1 is an autonomous hVTOL aircraft, with distributed electric propulsion and a turbogenerator-battery architecture. This achievement marks a significant step forward in Elroy Air’s mission to enable same-day shipping to every person on the planet and agile, low-risk resupply for Defense. To develop and bring the world’s first hVTOL air vehicle into flight test, the Elroy Air team overcame substantial technology challenges in electrical power management and structural vibration. The company’s intellectual property and deep accumulated technical experience positions Elroy Air at the forefront of hVTOL aircraft development. Elroy Air’s engineering team is led by Zach Lovering, an aerospace engineer and eVTOL industry veteran who contributed to multiple aircraft development programs at Zee Aero (now Wisk), and subsequently led the pioneering Vahana eVTOL aircraft program at Acubed by Airbus. Lovering added: “This groundbreaking initial flight of the C1 will be followed by an ongoing envelope expansion campaign in coordination with the US Air Force in which we’ll advance the vehicle’s demonstrated flight capabilities through subsequent modes of airborne operations,” said Elroy Air VP of Engineering Zach Lovering. “These modes include expanded hover, system identification, transition, and cruise flight.” Hybrid-electric aircraft represent a critical advancement in the aviation industry. For vertical flight, distributed electric propulsion (DEP) using multiple redundant rotors enables robust and safe operations even in the case of motor failure — a key enabler for autonomy. #avfoilnews #avaition #aircraft #evtol #vtol #hybridelectricaircraft

If you’re interested in how #uam may actually function, this is a great look at the specifics!

Will the ‘aerial taxis’ of the future be safe? Exciting news this morning as the Royal Aeronautical Society publishes a ground-breaking President’s Briefing paper on Shaping the Future of Aviation Safety with electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. This paper, headlined by 2023/24 President Kerissa Khan MRAeS outlines three hypothetical scenarios that anticipate future challenges and proposes recommendations to enhance safety in this rapidly evolving sector. The critical importance of this ‘forward-thinking’ paper, in addressing future safety challenges, cannot be underestimated. I cannot tell you exciting it has been to be part of this project. The established aerospace industry, with airworthiness and safety in its DNA, should continue to advocate a safety culture within the fast-evolving AAM sector. With this ground-breaking paper analysing plausible and realistic accident scenarios, developed by a group of global experts, we aim to stimulate discussion, shape the debate and help ensure the introduction of AAM as it evolves as safely as possible. The full paper can be found here: https://lnkd.in/eNsrpkw5 And a synopsis can be found here: https://lnkd.in/e6cP448b We're keen to hear your views on the subject. #futureflight #evtol #advancedairmobility #AAM #vertiports #electricaviation #thoughtleadership #AAIB

Great article reviewing the prop blade separation on the Joby aircraft during flight testing.

Changing the pilot experience The fly-by-wire systems used by Dassault Aviation, Gulfstream Aerospace & Bombardier operate with a flight control computer (FCC) linked to a multi-servo digital #autopilot. Unlike mechanical systems of older aircraft, where a pilot controls every aspect of flight, it’s the computer that takes over once the pilot inputs commands. BAE Systems has designed controls that are customised & intuitive, by relaying pilot input every few milliseconds but are 40% more compact than five years ago. With Textron Aviation it was no surprise that they would sequence through one of its most successful models for next-gen treatment, the Citation CJ3 Gen2 update. Inside, the revised CJ3 looks & feels like a bigger jet than its predecessor, the updated Garmin G3000, coupled with the new GDL 60 #datalink, transforms the pilot’s suite into a connected cockpit. For Dassault the fly-by-wire controls & an advanced situational-awareness system called Falcon Eye are the #cockpit differentiators. Plus, the 6X has paved the way for an even larger wide-body, the ultra-long-range 10X. The Cirrus #flightdeck holds the big reveal, which is the company’s strategy to fully align its piston series (from the SR20 on up) to its SF50 #VisionJet by offering a remarkably similar #piloting experience, with an intuitive interface. The new #avionics are the brains behind a host of #piston-specific tools that #pilots will use to ease workload, navigate on the ground & in the #air, while enhancing comfort along with safety. With context-driven taxi displays, automatic tank switching, & flap-overspeed protection, the Cirrus SR G7 operates more like a #jet. On the other hand with Embraer up front, the optional #Runway Overrun Awareness & Alerting System that enhances stabilised approaches adds an extra layer of protection during a critical phase of #flight. Further, the Flight Stream 510 allows the #pilot to connect portable electronic devices to the #aircraft avionics, thus reducing workload. Not exactly a magic carpet, the general #aviation scene has never been better. #businessjet’s are awesome! #bizjet #bizav https://lnkd.in/dZ7_WVEj

Unfortunately, Vertical Aerospace has opted not to fly its new VX4 prototype at the forthcoming Farnborough air show. While it’s clearly disappointing for Vertical – and, to be honest, I was quite looking forward to seeing the VX4 fly too – it was always going to be a race against time to get the second prototype airborne and flying in a meaningful way before the show rolled around. And dull as it sounds, it’s probably a sensible, pragmatic decision for Vertical to concentrate on flight testing rather than ‘wasting’ almost a fortnight with Farnborough faff. After all, it has more pressing milestones to reach such as certification and unlocking further investment, which flight testing can only expedite. https://lnkd.in/e-zfJ76r

The transparency is refreshing. That a blade failure resulted in loss of the rotor and pylon is consistent with other failures I’ve observed. Even if the loss of thrust from any given prop or rotor isn’t critical for force balance on the aircraft, the cascading damage from the initial failure may be. Shedding a blade into the cabin or an adjacent rotor should obviously be intolerable to certification agencies. How likely is successfully designing and certifying a system such that the probability of other critical damage from pylon loss is acceptably low? This crash supports my contention that each blade and its retention is a critical structure. Aircraft designs with two to four dozen blades have added many critical parts and even more bearings to the aircraft that all require regular inspection and maintenance in addition to aerospace grade manufacturing and quality processes. New OEMs to this industry will also need to amass considerable fatigue data on their structural materials and processes to support design and certification of critical parts for fatigue. Publicly available data is often insufficient, unfortunately. That so many of these aircraft have a design configuration that emphasizes the creation of oscillating loads just makes the challenge more difficult.