2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

<p>News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.</p>


<p>News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.</p>


<p>News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.</p>


Mukamalah Aviation plans to add Joby's eVTOL aircraft to its fleet

Eve and Joby Sign eVTOL Aircraft Agreements in Saudi Arabia

<p>News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.</p>


Car maker Toyota is supporting Joby with high-volume manufacturing expertise

Joby Expands Early eVTOL Aircraft Production Line

Hanneke Weitering

<p>News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.</p>


<p>News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.</p>


Operational testing will begin at MacDill in 2025

Joby's eVTOL Aircraft Coming to MacDill Air Force Base

<p>New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.</p>


Dubai's decision to give exclusive access to Joby has ruffled feathers

Blog: Could Monopolies Be the Norm for eVTOL Air Taxi Services?

<p>The FAA has accepted Joby Aviation’s certification plan for the electric propulsion system on its eVTOL aircraft, notching another milestone on the path to commercialization, the company announced on February 9. The California-based eVTOL developer finished <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-07-06/joby-finishes-submitting-evtol-aircraft-certification-plans-faa">submitting all of its certification plans</a> to the FAA in July 2023.&nbsp;</p>
<p>According to Joby, the newly accepted certification plan covers the aircraft’s electric propulsion unit—including motors, gearboxes, nacelles, coolant pumps, and electrical wiring—as well as the propeller system and variable pitch actuators. The five-seat air taxi uses a distributed electric propulsion system that the company developed as part of its earlier work with NASA. It features six propellers powered by independent electric propulsion units, with four on its wing and the other two on the tail.</p>
<p>“We now have an approved path across our certification program for all of the structural, mechanical, and electrical systems of our aircraft,” said Joby’s president of aircraft OEM Didier Papadopoulos. “This sets the stage for our team to execute against that path with a well-defined approach to for-credit testing and analysis as we continue to lead the industry towards certifying an electric air taxi with the FAA.”</p>
<p>Joby says it is close to finishing the third of five stages in its type certification process and has already gotten a head start on the fourth stage, during which the company will conduct thousands of tests and inspections in accordance with the certification plans agreed upon in stage three. According to Joby, it has already completed 30 “for-credit” tests with the FAA.&nbsp;</p>
<p>For the fifth and final stage of Joby’s type certification process, the FAA will analyze and verify results from stage four testing. If all goes well, Joby will then obtain its type certificate sometime before the end of this year, with commercial air taxi operations launching in 2025.&nbsp;</p>
<p>On February&nbsp;7, the U.S. <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-brief/2024-02-10/ntsb-confirms-propeller-failure-caused-crash-jobys-evtol-prototype">National Transportation Safety Board </a>confirmed that component failure resulting in the separation of a propeller as the probable cause of the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-brief/2022-03-09/ntsb-investigators-publish-preliminary-report-joby-evtol-flight-test-accident">February 16, 2022, accident</a> in which one of Joby Aviation’s eVTOL prototypes crashed during testing in a rural area of California. The agency’s final report determined that the blade separation caused, “cascading effects to include the separation of multiple propulsion motor/propeller assemblies and the loss of remote pilot control of the aircraft.”</p>


Science & Technology Editor

FAA Approves Joby's Certification Plan for eVTOL Propulsion System

<p>The FAA has granted rival eVTOL developers Joby and Archer the Part 145 repair station certificates they will need to perform maintenance on the eVTOL air taxis they aim&nbsp;to bring to market in 2025. The companies are believed to be among the first eVTOL manufacturers to earn Part 145 authorization.</p>
<p>Joby and Archer, both of which are based in California, aim&nbsp;to launch and operate their own commercial air taxi services with their respective four-passenger eVTOL air taxis&nbsp;after they obtain FAA type certification, which they expect to earn by the end of this year.</p>
<p>“This is a major vote of confidence from the FAA on Archer’s promise and potential for operating a full-scale urban air mobility service in cities across the country,” said Archer co-founder and CEO Adam Goldstein. “As we continue to rapidly advance towards commercial operations, we will be working closely with the FAA and regulators around the world to ensure Archer’s aircraft are safe and ready to transform mobility, providing a sustainable, low-noise, and cost-competitive alternative to decongest our biggest cities.”</p>
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            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/futureflight/import/archer_midnight.jpg" width="2200" height="1080" alt="Archer's Midnight eVTOL aircraft is pictured during a test flight" title="Archer Aviation said it completed the first of three phases in the flight test campaign for its Midnight eVTOL air taxi in January 2024. (Photo: Archer Aviation)">

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            <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Archer Aviation said it completed the first of three phases in the flight test campaign for its Midnight eVTOL air taxi in January 2024. (Photo: Archer Aviation)</div>
      
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<figcaption>Archer Aviation said it completed the first of three phases in the flight test campaign for its Midnight eVTOL air taxi in January 2024. (Photo: Archer Aviation)</figcaption>
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<p>Joby received its <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-05-26/joby-receives-part-135-operating-certificate-faa">Part 135 air carrier certificate</a> from the FAA in May 2022, allowing the company to conduct on-demand charter flights. It has been using that certification and already-certified conventional airplanes, including the company's&nbsp;Cirrus SR22,&nbsp;“to exercise the operations and customer technology platforms that will underpin our multimodal ridesharing service, while also refining our procedures to ensure seamless journeys for our customers,” said Bonny Simi, president of operations at Joby.&nbsp;</p>
<p>With its Part 145 certificate in hand, Joby intends to begin conducting maintenance activities on traditional aircraft—including airframe, radio, and instrument repairs—and plans to expand its MRO service offerings “in the coming months and years,” the company said.&nbsp;The Part 145 certification also permits Joby to provide paid training to aspiring aircraft technicians. Joby has already been involved in workforce training through its partnership with New York City’s <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-12-08/joby-teams-nycs-aviation-high-school-train-evtol-workforce">Aviation High School</a>. Those repair and training activities will take place at Joby's pilot production line and flight test facilities in Marina, California, a Joby spokesperson told <strong>AIN</strong>.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The Part 145 approval “marks another foundational piece of Joby’s vertically integrated strategy, including aircraft development, manufacturing, charging systems, commercial flight operations, and now maintenance operations, as we prepare to bring our revolutionary eVTOL aircraft to market,” said Simi.&nbsp;“Receiving our Part 145 certificate from the FAA is an important step towards developing the needed maintenance, repair, and overhaul services to support Joby’s commercial flight operations, as well as establishing career pipelines for people who want to become eVTOL aircraft technicians.”</p>


Joby and Archer Secure Part 145 Certificates for Aircraft Maintenance

<p>New developments at FBOs including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.</p>


<p>News and developments about aviation fuel, including jet fuel, aviation gasoline, and biofuel.</p>


<p>News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.</p>


The business aviation services group announced partnerships with two leading eVTOL aircraft developers

Atlantic, Joby, and Archer Plan for eVTOL FBO Services

<p>Atlantic Aviation is making plans for eVTOL aircraft operations at multiple locations in its U.S. network of FBOs, with partnership agreements announced this week with rival manufacturers Joby and Archer. The partnerships will see electric recharging equipment provided by both companies installed at Atlantic sites, as well as joint work to explore the next steps in preparing for the launch of eVTOL air taxi services in 2025.</p>
<p>On Wednesday morning Archer reported the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Atlantic Aviation covering the provision of vertiport infrastructure at airports in the New York City and Los Angeles metropolitan areas, as well as in San Francisco and Miami. At almost the same time, the business aviation services group announced a similar agreement with Joby, covering the installation of its&nbsp;global electric aviation charging system (GEACS) at several FBOs, starting in New York and Southern California.</p>
<p>The equipment to be installed with Archer is the Combined Charging System (CSS) developed by Beta Technologies, which is also developing an eVTOL aircraft. Both systems are intended for use with&nbsp;multiple aircraft types, but the agreements announced this week did not state whether the cost of the equipment will be covered by Atlantic or the two eVTOL manufacturers.</p>
<p>"A precise division of investment can be expected as detailed, site-specific negotiations with each partner are finalized further down the line," a company spokesperson told <strong>AIN</strong> in a written response to a question. "The MoU referenced in today's releases set the framework and geographic focus areas for these mutually beneficial negotiations."</p>
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            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/futureflight/import/Archer%20Atlantic%20FBO%20copy.jpg" width="3840" height="2160" alt="Archer plans eVTOL aircraft infrastructure with Atlantic Aviation" title="Archer is making plans for eVTOL aircraft operations with FBO group Atlantic Aviation. (Image: Archer Aviation)">

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            <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Archer is making plans for eVTOL aircraft operations with FBO group Atlantic Aviation. (Image: Archer Aviation)</div>
      
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<figcaption>Archer is making plans for eVTOL aircraft operations with FBO group Atlantic Aviation. (Image: Archer Aviation)</figcaption>
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<p>"We are impressed with Archer's technology and suite of world-class partners including United Airlines," commented Atlantic Aviation's chief commercial and sustainability officer John Redcay. "We are excited to work together to electrify our aviation assets to enable quiet and sustainable urban air travel in cities across the U.S."</p>
<h3 class="subheading"><strong>Atlantic Supports Business Aircraft at 100 North American Airports</strong></h3>
<p>Atlantic’s FBO network includes more than 100 locations across North America—at least one of which already has an aircraft charger supplied by Beta Technologies. The Vermont-based company, which is developing two types of electric aircraft in addition to charging infrastructure, has already begun installing its so-called “charge cubes” at a few of Atlantic’s FBO facilities, the companies announced last week. <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2024-01-09/business-aviation-group-installs-betas-electric-aircraft-charging-stations">Atlantic’s first Beta charge cube</a> was recently installed at Elmira Regional Airport in upstate New York, and additional units are coming soon Alabama’s Birmingham International Airport, Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport in Mississippi, and Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport in Massachusetts.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Joby is already using the GEACS to support flight testing at its Marina, California facility and at <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-09-25/joby-delivers-first-evtol-aircraft-us-air-force">Edwards Air Force Base</a>. On January 8 the company announced plans to install the first GEACS intended for commercial air taxi operations <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2024-01-08/los-angeles-area-airport-get-jobys-electric-aircraft-charging-system">at a Clay Lacy Aviation FBO</a> coming to the John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, which is currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2025. In addition to manufacturing aircraft and chargers, Joby also intends to operate a commercial air taxi service using its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft in densely populated areas such as New York City and Los Angeles.&nbsp;</p>
<p>“Infrastructure is a critical piece of the puzzle and Atlantic’s presence in these two key U.S. markets will help ensure we’re well positioned to deliver a meaningful service for our customers,” said Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt. “We’re excited to be working together to lay the foundation for the next generation of clean and quiet flight.”</p>
<p>While Joby and Beta took different approaches to designing their aircraft chargers, both systems will be capable of supporting the kinds of air taxi operations that are expected to launch next year. Beta’s charge cube is an interoperable Level 3 DC fast charger based on the CSS standard for electric vehicles, which has been endorsed by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. Joby, on the other hand, has created an entirely new interface—the GEACS—that it says will be capable of supporting a greater variety of aircraft in the future, including larger electric commuter airplanes such as the Eviation Alice. Joby <a href="https://www.jobyaviation.com/blog/sharing-decade-progress-charging/">published the specifications</a> of its previously proprietary system online late last year.&nbsp;</p>


Read the latest news about Archer Aviation. 

Atlantic Aviation Expands Plans for eVTOL Air Services By Partnering With Joby and Archer

<p>News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.</p>


Joby Aviation

News

Eve and Joby Sign eVTOL Aircraft Agreements in Saudi Arabia

Joby Expands Early eVTOL Aircraft Production Line

Joby's eVTOL Aircraft Coming to MacDill Air Force Base

Blog: Could Monopolies Be the Norm for eVTOL Air Taxi Services?

FAA Approves Joby's Certification Plan for eVTOL Propulsion System

Joby and Archer Secure Part 145 Certificates for Aircraft Maintenance

Atlantic, Joby, and Archer Plan for eVTOL FBO Services

Atlantic Aviation Expands Plans for eVTOL Air Services By Partnering With Joby and Archer

Clay Lacy's John Wayne FBO To Get Joby's Electric Charging Unit

Electric Air Taxis Take Flight in New York City

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