Joby Aviation has completed a landmark series of major aerostructure tests for certification credit with the FAA, namely static load testing of the tail structure. This was the first time the company had tested a major aerostructure of its aircraft for-credit with FAA representatives present. The tests took place in Santa Cruz in California as part of a rigorous testing campaign covering all of the structures, components and systems on the aircraft, producing data that is required for FAA type certification of the aircraft.

“Completing for-credit static load testing on a major aircraft structure marks an important step towards certification of the Joby aircraft and we’re very pleased with the results. Reaching this milestone is the culmination of years of hard work across the engineering, testing, certification and manufacturing teams at Joby,” says Didier Papadopoulos, president of aircraft OEM. “Our vertically-integrated approach to aircraft development gives us the capability to design, build and test entire aerostructures in-house, providing Joby with a strong foundation to rapidly and efficiently continue to bring innovative technologies to market.”

During the tests, Joby engineers applied loads to the aircraft’s tail structure that far exceed the maximum forces the structure is expected to experience during flight. The FAA-conforming tail structure used in the test, along with the test procedure, instrumentation and applied loads, are outlined in Joby’s certification documents which have been approved by the FAA as part of the certification process.