Air Taxi testing is cleared for takeoff in North Texas.
From Sept. 10 to Sept. 14, Joby Aviation’s air taxi aircraft will fly between Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport and key locations in the metro, such as DFW International Airport’s Corporate Aviation and the Toyota Motor North America headquarters in Plano. Joby aircraft will also fly a roundtrip flight from AFW to Arlington in order to demonstrate low-noise operations over major infrastructure, including the Fort Worth Stockyards.
“Advanced Air Mobility vehicles are the future of aviation and these demonstrations in Texas are critical to getting us there,” FAA administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement. “The FAA is leveraging data from test flights in Texas and across the country to ensure these new aircraft integrate safely into the airspace.”
Joby’s North Texas flights come as U.S. government works to accelerate the development and integration of air taxis into the nation’s airspace. These aircraft typically take off and land vertically like a helicopter and fly forward like a traditional aircraft. The flights, Joby said, could “one day turn long, frustrating highway drives into quick, emission-free flights.”
The flights are made possible by Project Nexus, a winning proposal by the Texas Department of Transportation that is a part of the nationwide transportation initiative to help the implementation of advance air mobility vehicles.
This week’s flights are “expected to generate the real-world operational data the FAA needs to build safety rules for commercial service at scale,” Joby said in a statement. Joby has already conducted similar air taxi demonstrations in crowded airspace like the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City.
“I’m incredibly excited by the potential for vertical lift in Texas, a state with the infrastructure, expertise, and partnerships to help lead the next era of American aviation,” JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby, said in a statement. “With TxDOT’s leadership and support, the eIPP gives us an incredible opportunity to bring our aircraft into urban areas and accelerate our path to commercial service. This is just the beginning of what Texas and Joby can build together.”