Joby Aviation’s electric air taxi was positioned front-and-centre as Michael Whitaker, head of the Federal Aviation Administration, signed in Las Vegas a historic rule establishing a new class of “powered lift” aircraft.
The piloted, four passenger air taxi – prominently displayed all week in the west lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center at NBAA BACE – served as the backdrop for a moment that Greg Bowles, Joby’s head of government policy, called an “amazing culmination”.
“The FAA administrator talked extensively about where this is going, and the announcement of the SFAR [special federal aviation rule] is like the final piece that was necessary to really bring this across the line and set the next era in place,” he says.
Making its first appearance as an exhibitor at the show, Joby believes that its aircraft is well-positioned to serve the business aviation sector upon achieving FAA certification – a hurdle the company is hoping to clear in 2025.
“We built a service and a company around the idea of really helping to open aviation to a huge amount of the population, and the business community really enjoys aviation extensively,” Bowles says. “It’s a place to work on policy pieces and work to show a future to folks who use… airports and heliports around the country, and help them understand this area that’s evolving.”
The aircraft’s appearance at the NBAA show comes amid a broader public awareness campaign, with Joby’s electric air taxi making recent appearances at the Farnborough air show and New York City’s Grand Central Station.
Bowles says the public displays represent Joby’s shifting focus from development and certification to becoming a “very broad operating company” that aims to become a familiar service-provider in the public’s consciousness. “It’s a really exciting final chapter before we get to operations.”
