WASHINGTON - Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company Joby Aviation has taken another step on its path to start a commercial air taxi service by 2025. The company said Tuesday that it’s begun final assembly on its “company-conforming” eVTOL, which is essentially a prototype that’s a couple steps away from the final version, Rebecca Bellan reports for Tech Crunch. Continue reading original article.
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
15 February 2023 - The aircraft, which is the first to be produced at Joby’s pilot manufacturing facility in Marina, California, has been manufactured in accordance with a released design and built according to a complete implementation of a quality management system, qualifying it as a company-conforming aircraft - an important step on the path to achieving the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certification required to begin commercial passenger operations.
Having built the major aerostructures of the aircraft – the wing, tail, and fuselage – Joby is now beginning the process of mating the structures together and installing the wiring, electronics, actuation, and propulsion systems on its pilot production line. Joby expects the aircraft to begin flight testing in the first half of 2023.
Joby’s Quality Management System, matured over a number of years, includes tracking and documentation of every part on the aircraft, configuration management of engineering drawings, environmental conditions during fabrication, and actions taken by manufacturing technicians. The system is reviewed regularly by the FAA as part of the company’s preparation to receive a production certificate following the type certification of its eVTOL aircraft.
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Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Military + Aerospace Electronics
