Joby Aircraft Proceeds To Certify For Airline Service

[MIflyer]

From Avweb Flash:

They say they want to operate an airline, not just build short range electric airplanes.

Still looks like a Ronco Veg-A-Matic to me.

 

[Snautzer01]

After viewing that below is mandatory.

 

[MIflyer]

"Welcome aboard ladies and gentlemen! Our flight today will be only 45 minutes, because we don't have power available for much longer than that."

Max range is 150 miles. Max speed is 200 mph.

 

[GrauGeist]

That *may* work in a GA environment, where there is limited ground traffic, but just imagine trying to use that thing at a busy setting like LAX where half your battery life would be used up just waiting to get aloft.

 

[SaparotRob]

Let alone parking.

 

[MIflyer]

They are going to be operating from the Walmart parking lot, the mall parking lot, and maybe the helipads at hospitals. I don't even think that they plan to operate in and out of GA airports; after all, it's not like they can plan to refuel there.

I wonder if the FAA will factor in the fact that it can seemingly land anywhere, which by all rights should enhance the safety factor far beyond that of any airplane that takes off with, at the most, the equivalent of the minimum IFR endurance MARGIN as its total flight time.

 

[gumbyk]

That *may* work in a GA environment, where there is limited ground traffic, but just imagine trying to use that thing at a busy setting like LAX where half your battery life would be used up just waiting to get aloft.

Why? Idle speed is 0 RPM

 

[GrauGeist]

Why? Idle speed is 0 RPM

The idle may be zero, but the queue is a long one and moves at a slow pace - this little EV would be inching along for a while, unless they were leaving at off-peak traffic hours, but that would defeat the commuter purpose.

 

[MIflyer]

Why? Idle speed is 0 RPM

At a minimum the air conditioning is going to have to be turned on.

 

[GrauGeist]

At a minimum the air conditioning is going to have to be turned on.

Plus the entire system is switched on, allowing for system input - may not be a huge draw, but it's pulling on the batteries.

 

[MIflyer]

These things are more like taxies rather than airliners. Operating from a major airport with full sized conventional airliners would defeat their very purpose. Since they are VTOL they don;t need runways. I understand that in the L.A. area there are defined low altitude helicopter routes that let them fly without getting up with the other traffic. But the way these things will be flying, there will be no defined routes. The main challenge will be making sure they do not cross the final approach or departure paths of any airports while transiting the area.

I do wonder what the minimum enroute altitudes will be. Normally you can't come within 1000 ft of any person, vehicle, or structure and I assume they will still do that.

 

[GrauGeist]

My concern, is what the FAA will require for certification and how comprehensive it'll be.

I honestly can't see these things being available to just anyone - the quality of the driving public is ridiculously poor enough as it is...

 

[gumbyk]

The idle may be zero, but the queue is a long one and moves at a slow pace - this little EV would be inching along for a while, unless they were leaving at off-peak traffic hours, but that would defeat the commuter purpose.

Being VTOL, I don't think they'll be queueing for a runway anyway. One of the advantages of this design is specifically that it avoids the need for those queues.

 

[Snautzer01]

When asking for a cold drink the landing would be immediately.

 

[MIflyer]

When asking for a cold drink the landing would be immediately.

I don't think they will fit in a drive-through.

The Joby will be for Part 135 airline service. A lot of these type things are designed to be unmanned, but I doubt the Joby will be one. Of course the reason so many are unmanned is that they only have 2 seats and the a pilot would take up one.

 

[GTX]