Joby Aviation is a big name in the air taxi industry. Air taxis are designed for commercial passenger use, and Joby recently hit a major milestone in getting its vehicles in the air for commercial use. The company announced a landmark moment for the aircraft test program, successfully transitioning from vertical to cruise flight and back again with a pilot onboard.

Milestone Towards Air Taxi Flights

Joby Aviation's air taxi during the first piloted transition flight
Joby Aviation’s air taxi during the first piloted transition flight; Photo: Joby Aviation

According to Joby Aviation, transitioning from vertical to horizontal flight is key for its aircraft. It allows the aircraft to take off and land similarly to a helicopter while maintaining the efficiency and speed of a conventional, fixed-wing aircraft. This is a unique capability that is key to operating passenger services.

“Achieving this milestone is hugely significant for Joby,” Didier Papadopolous, President of Aircraft OEM at Joby, said. Hitting the milestone marks a positive step towards test flights in mid-2025 in Dubai. “It not only demonstrates the high level of confidence we have in the performance of the aircraft as we prepare for commercial service in Dubai, it also paves the way to starting TIA flight testing with FAA pilots onboard.”

Joby achieved the first “pilot-on-board” transition flight, with Joby Chief Test Pilot James “Buddy” Denham in control. Denham reportedly executed a vertical take-off in the company’s latest aircraft, the N544JX, before “climbing out” and accelerating to a full fixed-wing flight, then returned to a vertical landing.

“Designing and flying an aircraft that can seamlessly transition between vertical and cruise flight has long been considered one of the most challenging technological feats in aerospace,” Denham said. “But our team has developed and built an aircraft that makes it feel like an everyday task.”

He continued, “The aircraft flew exactly as expected, with excellent handling qualities and low pilot workload.”

Joby Aviation achieved the milestone flight at its facilities in Marina, California. Previously, the air taxi company completed demonstration flights in New York City, Japan, and Korea. It has five aircraft in its test fleet. The air taxis in the fleet are all electric, and they carry a pilot and up to four passengers at a time while traveling up to 200 mph.

It seems like capacity, speed, and emissions reduction collide in Joby’s fleet of air taxis. According to the aviation company, they’re “on track” to deliver an air taxi to Dubai later this year for test flights. Then, the company hopes, they’ll begin their first flights in that region.