The Air Force’s Agility Prime program has explored the possible uses of the type of aircraft Joby makes, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles.
In September 2023, leaders of Joby unveiled plans to establish a Dayton manufacturing presence. One of the reasons they cited for choosing Dayton was the nearby presence of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, home to the Air Force Research Laboratory, which oversees Agility Prime, among other crucial Air Force programs.
The four-week maintenance training program happened at Joby’s facilities in Marina, Calif., and was based on an aircraft maintenance manual developed with an eye toward eventual certification with the Federal Aviation Administration.
The program included classroom instruction as well as hands-on completion of inspections and pre-flight checks on Joby’s production prototype aircraft.
“We’re pleased to have successfully completed another engagement with the U.S. Air Force, providing the government with a technical overview of electric aircraft maintenance operations while we received feedback from experienced service members to further hone our in-house maintenance training program,” said Bonny Simi, Joby’s operations president.
In April 2023, Joby announced that four Air Force pilots had completed pilot training and become the first Air Force personnel to fly eVTOL aircraft as remote pilot-in-command through the full flight envelope, including transition from vertical to wingborne flight.
The Joby electric air taxi is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph, with far less noise then helicopters.
It’s Joby’s goal to establish a global business of ferrying passengers to large city airports with its aircraft.
Production of components for Joby eVTOL craft will begin in Dayton early next year, Greg Bowles, Joby’s head of government relations and regulatory affairs, told the Dayton Daily News in August.
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