Having amassed over 40,000 miles of test flights, Joby has now flown a full transition flight with a pilot onboard.
The California-based Joby Aviation has already successfully tested the electric, vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi’s design both remotely-piloted and in hover and low-speed flight. But this month, Joby signalled their confidence in the aircraft with the first pilot-on-board transition flight.
Demonstrating its ability to transition from vertical to cruise flight, and back again, the aircraft showcased its versatility in the performance, harnessing the benefits of both helicopters and airplanes.
Speaking on the achievement, Didier Papadopolous, President of Aircraft OEM at Joby, commented:
“Achieving this milestone is hugely significant for Joby. It not only demonstrates the high level of confidence we have in the performance of the aircraft as we prepare for commercial service in Dubai, it also paves the way to starting TIA flight testing with FAA pilots onboard […] We have taken a very methodical approach to achieving this long-planned milestone, with an immense amount of testing, both in the air and on the ground, helping form a solid foundation that allowed us to move from one historic flight to routine pilot-on-board transitions almost overnight.”
Having successfully completed this test on the 22nd April 2025, Joby has since got multiple transition flights under its belt with three different pilots. The first pilot, Joby Chief Test Pilot James “Buddy” Denham said:
“I’m honoured to have played a role in this historic moment. Designing and flying an aircraft that can seamlessly transition between vertical and cruise flight has long been considered one of the most challenging technological feats in aerospace, but our team has developed and built an aircraft that makes it feel like an everyday task. The aircraft flew exactly as expected, with excellent handling qualities and low pilot workload.”
For more like this see:
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