Blade production is a step toward the goal of expanding in-house manufacturing, producing up to 15,000 blades a year and turning Dayton into a blade manufacturing “hub.”
Joby has about 24 people working in Dayton, with more hiring happening. Allison, whose team oversees manufacturing, did not have workforce projections for the next year, but he said: “What I can say is, we’re investing here. Look for more signals of that in the coming weeks and months.”
His Dayton workforce has been trained in the company’s Marina, Calif. pilot production line. “It’s great to see the quality of the workforce there (in Dayton), how fast they learn.”
Joby makes electric aircraft that fly aloft and land like helicopters — very quiet helicopters — but cruise like traditional airplanes.
It’s that low noise signature that’s a particular selling point for the company. Joby hopes to offer passenger service to airports in big cities in a way that does not disturb surrounding locales.
Joby also hopes to make aircraft for “direct sales” to other companies and even individuals who want to fly the craft or integrate them into fleets.
Joby’s blade production is advanced. The company is vertically integrated, meaning it produces its own parts or controls that production, and quality control is paramount.
“We’re taking the opportunity to build both a manufacturing operation that can actually build the quality and attention to detail that we need for these critical parts of our aircraft,” he said. “But it (Dayton) is also an outpost of our culture, too.”
Joby is devising a new kind of aircraft for a new market, what Allison said is “the next big step-change in capabilities for aviation writ-large.”
Testing of equipment is happening in Dayton. And blades will not be the only component the Dayton outpost produces.
“We’re really excited and have a road map of other pieces in the near term that we’ll transition into that facility,” Allison said.
Asked if the company still intends to assemble full aircraft here, Allison was unequivocal. “That’s definitely the goal. We’re very excited. I mean, the existing facility is right on an international airport. We’ve been thinking ahead to that endpoint for a while.”
But progress depends on certification of Joby’s aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration. Allison sees a major milestone — called “TIA,” for “Type Inspection Authorization” — happening perhaps early next year.
That will be when some of the FAA’s best test pilots get into Joby’s aircraft for the first time and fly agreed-upon test plans.
Those tests will demonstrate the “maturity” of the Joby aircraft, the craft the company hopes to make one day in Dayton, Allison said.
To the best of Joby’s knowledge, no company has entered FAA TIA testing and failed to emerge on the other side with a certificate.
“It’s really the final critical phase of the work we’ve been doing for many years,” Allison said.
About the Author
