NASA BEGINS FLIGHT TEST OF ELECTRIC AIR TAXI

NASA begins flight testing with Joby Aviation's all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The testing process will take place from August 30 to September 10 at Joby's Electric Flight Base near Big Sur in California. This is the first time NASA is testing an EVTOL aircraft as part of the campaign. In the future, EVTOL aircraft could serve as air taxis to cities and surrounding areas across the country, adding another mode of transportation to carry people and goods. The test will help identify gaps in current Federal Aviation Administration regulations and policies to help AAM aircraft incorporate into the national airspace system. This multi-event campaign to advance airspace mobility in the US will take place in multiple locations over the years. "The national campaign development test is an important strategic step in NASA's goals of accelerating the AAM industry timeline," said Davis Hackenberg, NASA AAM mission integration manager. "These test scenarios will help inform gaps in existing standards to benefit industry progress in integrating AAM vehicles into the airspace." During this round of testing, NASA will collect data from Joby's EVTOL aircraft, which is intended to serve as a commercial passenger service in the future. Analyzing that data prepares the AAM National Campaign to perform the first set of campaign tests, known as NC-1, for more complex flight scenarios and with other industry vehicles scheduled for 2022. As the Joby aircraft flies through planned test scenarios, the NASA team will collect information about how the vehicle moves, how the vehicle sounds and how the vehicle communicates with controllers. Future participants will fly in similar scenarios to evaluate their vehicle readiness. The team will deploy the Mobile Acoustics Facility to measure the acoustic profile of Joby's aircraft at various stages of flight and to build an array of more than 50 microphones. "NASA's Common National Campaign is critical to scientific understanding and public acceptance of the EVTOL aircraft," said Joben Bevart, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation. "We are incredibly proud to have worked closely with NASA on electric flight over the past 10 years and to be the first EVTOL company to fly as part of the campaign." Another element of testing includes ensuring that external categories participating in NC-1 meet protocols for future testing by establishing a baseline for participation. The team will also test NASA's flight safety and airworthiness procedures to approve participants to participate in the campaign. The AAM National Campaign is managed by NASA's Advanced Air Dynamics Project, which plans to be a community catalyst for developing and validating systems-level concepts and solutions. for mango. The Common Project is a part of the agency's Aeronautical Research Mission Directorate.