Check out my full deep dive on Joby's extensive Hydrogen Flight Testing history and the programs currently happening at the US Military's Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona!

Enjoy, have a great weekend!

8 Test Sites -> More Routes -> More Flights -> More Data -> Better Data -> Potentially fly additional People -> A Rigorous Process -> Safety in Mind -> FAA decision✈️

If you could make Joby hit ONE of these milestones by the end of 2026, which is MOST important to you?

N547JX easily wins!

It did it guys!! N547JX flew it's first expanded envelope outside of the runway! Almost 50 knots. https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a6f2cb

Note: I got a little too excited and thought it transitioned but I'm not 100% since the speed maxed out around 50 kts

If you’re not already following the new automated eVTOL tracker posts that Happyrobot put together for us, check them out. Today his app caught N547JX on an expanded envelope flight in a large loop well off the runway, with a top speed of 49 knots. Huge milestone!

Look at the progression. This aircraft came off the line about a year ago. It hovered in March, began runway hovers up to 30 knots in September, and now it’s flying loops off the runway at up to 49 knots. Forward props are likely tilting forward at this point, and my guess is full transition would come somewhere in the 60-85 knot range.

What’s next? Nobody knows but Joby and the FAA, and this is only my guess, but the likelihood of FAA pilots flying N547JX and the start of TIA flight testing in 2026 just jumped. If the runway hovers had just continued, I’d have said TIA flights in 2026 were looking less likely. This kind of progress makes it more likely.

Why does that matter? As far as my research has uncovered, it’s exceedingly rare for an aircraft that gets to FAA piloted TIA flight testing not to eventually earn Type Certification. And if TIA flights begin in 2026, Type Certification in 2027 becomes possible. Only possible does not mean for sure, but that’s a lot more likely than it looked a few months ago.

Anyway, very excited! What does everyone think? Does the pace of expansion flights change your timeline?  Does this make anyone want to jump in on $JOBY at a low price thinking the majority of the public has no clue what a big deal this is?

Automated ADS-B flight log for the tracked Joby eVTOL test fleet (times Pacific). Each tail that powers on or flies gets one comment below, edited as the day goes on, with its flights and totals. Public ADS-B data only; posted by a bot.

Note: distances here are generally under-reported, because they are measured in straight lines between position fixes a couple of minutes apart, which cuts corners on turns and patterns. The weekly report has more accurate distances.

Location (hangar or apron) comes from ADS-B positions and can lag or be wrong; a tail that is not transmitting shows as hangar / not transmitting. Location and "historical chance" are shown only until a tail has flown for the day. "Historical chance" is how often that tail flew later the same day in similar situations (past data plus the bot's own record). It is not a forecast.

I’d expect no Joby flights planned for today, because the weather forecast for Marina, CA is poor.

Could be why they pushed so many flights so early in the day yesterday.

Better conditions forecast for tomorrow, so hopefully a few more flights before the weekend.

From Blade on X:

"Proud to report BLADE’s biggest September in its 12-year history.

Over 11,000 passengers flown, up 10% over last September.

Largest vertical-lift passenger network in the world. Not slowing down."

With the news today that BETA got an FAA "Market Survey" certificate for its A250 eVTOL—especially with a few headlines cutting out the "with Prospective Customers" part—I've seen people asking if BETA just passed Joby, or why Joby doesn't have this yet.

Honestly, I don't think this says anything about who is ahead. A Market Survey certificate is a sideways move within the Experimental category, not a jump ahead on the Type Certification ladder.

This is great news for BETA, and we don't always have to look at one company's win and ask what it implies for the other eVTOL players. BETA and Joby just have different business models right now:

• What BETA actually got: Every eVTOL company (Joby, BETA, Archer, Wisk) already flies under Experimental R&D certificates. BETA’s new certificate is still Experimental—they can't run commercial flights with it. It just lets them bring non-employees onboard for sales demos and customer pilot training.
• Why BETA needs it: BETA sells planes directly to outside fleets (UPS, Bristow, United Therapeutics) that use their own pilots. Since BETA is certifying their fixed-wing plane first, full eVTOL certification is further out—so they need customer pilots test-flying their dual-control cockpit now to lock in orders. (They also used the 250,000+ miles flown on their fixed-wing plane, which shares ~80% of the same parts, to prove safety to the FAA).
• Why Joby doesn't: Joby’s main model is running its own air taxi network, not doing "try-before-you-buy" demo flights for outside fleets—plus the S4 only has a single pilot seat. More importantly, Joby is in Stage 5 (the final phase) of actual Type Certification, flying conforming planes like N547JX for official FAA credit (TIA). Those planes have to stay locked in strict FAA test configurations; pulling them off the line for sales demos would only slow down final certification.

TL;DR: Great milestone for BETA, and we don't need to treat every piece of news like it means something for the other eVTOL companies. This is a sideways branch for B2B sales demos, not a jump ahead in certification. BETA needs outside pilots test-flying their dual-control plane while full certification is still a ways out, while Joby is keeping its planes locked in on Stage 5 FAA credit testing to finish Type Certification first.

Note: This post isn't about saying Joby is better or downplaying Beta (I'm also a big holder). I just wanted to clear up some confusion and note that asking why Joby didn't get this is not really the right question to be asking

Edit: Joby actually has the "market survey" cert for the Xwing autonomous aircraft (N101XW) because for that one they do plan on selling the technology to customers and not "operating" it.

N547JX has done 4 runs down the runway today. This was similar to runs at the end of Sept. The Sept runs max'd at 35knots. Today's runs passed 40 knots at steady 250ft.

Seems like progression continues. I think N547JX is getting close to transition speed. I think the props start pointing forward around 45 knots, so it looks like they are just hitting up against that wall at this point.

If anyone knows the min transition speed of the S4, let us know. We could be close.

Yesterday I found a new posting for a Joby maintenance manager in Dubai. Today there's a job posting for a Joby Senior Manager of Business Development in South Korea.

These can only be seen as a positive signal IMO. It seemed like S. Korea was really backing out of the eVTOL space for a while, but there seems to have been a flurry of recent Korean Government activity supporting it again. Glad Joby already has a strong network of Korean companies ready to support them and Joby is beefing up the South Korean staff.

Hope everyone enjoys this deeper dive into the Joby GEACS system (Global Electric Aviation Charging System), Thanks for watching!

Did you realize the 2023 Joby achievement of 7 flights, totaling 74 minutes, in a ~5-hour window by N542BJ showing the GEACS charger before it was officially unveiled?! The signs are always there...😉

On a more personal note. Since there is all sorts of pumping and self promotion in the online space right now....

My Promise: "Let's Talk Joby" is and has NEVER been focused on me, it's about sharing the extensive due diligence of objective facts, detailed research, and pattern recognition over all these years researching AND working in this industry (My 3 years at BLADE are what started my journey with Joby back in 2019). The goal has always been to convey some of what I've learned and compiled with everyone so they can make their OWN assessments about Joby, it's peers, and the industry more broadly! Cheers to everyone here for making r/Joby the best eVTOL & airtaxi thread on Reddit! 💪

Automated ADS-B flight log for the tracked Joby eVTOL test fleet (times Pacific). Each tail that powers on or flies gets one comment below, edited as the day goes on, with its flights and totals. Public ADS-B data only; posted by a bot.

Note: distances here are generally under-reported, because they are measured in straight lines between position fixes a couple of minutes apart, which cuts corners on turns and patterns. The weekly report has more accurate distances.

Location (hangar or apron) comes from ADS-B positions and can lag or be wrong; a tail that is not transmitting shows as hangar / not transmitting. Location and "historical chance" are shown only until a tail has flown for the day. "Historical chance" is how often that tail flew later the same day in similar situations (past data plus the bot's own record). It is not a forecast.

I just gotta say. This is one the best communities. I love the passion and knowledge sharing. It's incredible getting insightful information and always neat to see an alert when a new Joby takes flight. Using AI to build automation alerts for flights is wicked awesome. As an investor and avid believer that Joby will bring Air taxis to the world, I'm just so impressed by the commitment to sharing in this community. Just wanted to say thank you all. I really appreciate it.

This appears to be a new job post for a Joby Maintenance Manager in the UAE. Maybe a sign that activity is about to ramp again in Dubai and maybe we'll see a first flight soon from the DXB Vertiport.

This morning at sunrise, at the Yuma proving ground, the next iteration of the long range, high altitude, 2 engine, autonomous aircraft flew for just under an hour In its maiden flight. The tail number is the first in a new series according to the FAA registry- N602HY, JAI40, SN002. The registry shows the tail number as assigned.

Shoutout to Jealous Nectarine for the catch!

https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/Search/NNumberResult?NNumberTxt=602HY

https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N602HY

Interesting article analyzing vertiports and public approval of them.

Key Take away:

Vertiport developers need to earn community trust early and continuously, not simply obtain planning approval.

Important Points:

- As Joby has emphasized time and again, noise is the biggest public concern in many US markets. Residents worry about helicopter like noise, flight frequency, routes near homes and schools, safety, rotor wash and battery fires.  Since nobody knows what level of noise or what kind of noise is acceptable, having the quietest aircraft possible provides the best chance of convincing the public.

- Show the benefits, not just the technology. Communities want to know what they gain: faster connections, better access to transportation, tourism, improved connections to existing transit and potentially disaster response capabilities. A technically suitable site isn't necessarily a socially acceptable one.

- Engagement must start early. Developers should involve residents, local governments, schools, businesses and community groups before the design is finalized. Operating hours, routes, flight frequency and infrastructure design should respond to legitimate feedback.

- Demonstrations are powerful, but not sufficient. Joby's Manhattan demonstration at the East 34th Street Heliport was highlighted as a way to let community leaders hear (or barely hear) the aircraft themselves. SkyDrive's demonstrations in Japan also helped familiarize the public with eVTOLs. But one quiet flight doesn't prove that 50–100 flights per day will be acceptable. This is where eIPP comes in.

- A bad first impression could hurt the entire industry. A noise controversy or poorly handled rollout at one vertiport could undermine public confidence in AAM well beyond that individual location. Hopefully, one loud eVTOL doesn't ruin public opinion of all eVTOLs.

What this means for Joby:

The article is encouraging for Joby, because it highlights the value of actual eVTOL flight demonstrations (actual vertical take off and landing) and the importance of the aircraft being as quiet as possible.

The Manhattan demonstration is a good example of how Joby can help overcome skepticism in a market with a history of helicopter noise complaints.

Main takeaway: Aircraft certification proves eVTOLs can fly safely under approved conditions. Community acceptance, which mostly focuses on noise, determines whether the company can operate frequently enough, in convenient enough locations, to build a viable network.

April 2026 - Technical completion ✅

July 2026 - Received regulatory certification for eVTOL operations ✅

September 2026 - Ras Al Khaimah advances its air taxi network (Skyport) ✅

October 2026 - GCAA visited Joby Aviation ✅

October 2026 - Schneider Electric Powering on vertiport, everyone there made that possible ✅

November 2026 - EV World (Exhibitors Unknown - Could be more focused on cars)

November 2026 - (Academic Conference) - 4th International Conference on Advanced Air Mobility Systems

November 2026 - Evolve (Future Mobility Show) - Moved to February 2027

End of Year 2026 - (Expected) - TBC

Just keeping track.. 10 Friday's to go until Christmas