On September 25, electric aircraft manufacturer Joby Aviation announced its plans to invest up to $500 million to develop a new facility in Dayton, Ohio, where mass production of air taxis will take place.
A New Era in the Aircraft Industry
Joby has been flying full-scale aircraft since 2017. In June 2023, it introduced its first production-representative prototype, which can accommodate four passengers and a pilot. It is designed to travel at up to 200 mph (322 kph) with a maximum range of 100 miles and a revolutionary quiet noise profile, barely audible against the backdrop of cities.
By operating these aircraft, the company hopes to redefine urban transportation by building aerial ride-sharing networks in cities worldwide. According to Joby founder JoeBen Bevirt, the company is "driving vigorously" to receive Federal Aviation Administration certification for its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. This certification will grant the company the right to begin commercial passenger service in 2025.
The new facility is expected to deliver up to 500 aircraft annually at the Dayton International Airport, enough to support up to 2,000 new jobs. Joby also intends to begin hiring immediately to stand up production of aircraft components at existing facilities at the Dayton site. The construction of the new production facility will begin in 2024, while its operations will start in 2025.
The flying car company plans to start hiring in the coming months, with early roles focusing on the design of the scaled facility and the machining of components that will be initially incorporated into the low-production line in California. Partnerships with Toyota, Delta Air Lines, Intel, and Uber also support the efforts of the 14-year-old company.
Birthplace of Aviation
Joby Aviation has chosen the 140-acre site at Dayton International Airport as the location of its first serial production, as opposed to the prototypes built at its pilot production line in California.
Dayton, Ohio, is considered the birthplace of aviation since this is where Orville and Wilbur Wright, the pioneers in inventing and flying the first powered aircraft in the U.S., lived and worked. They also opened the first American airplane factory in this area in 1910. To connect the historical events, Joby's formal announcement was held at Orville Wright's home in Hawthorn Hill and concluded with a ceremonial replica of the Wright Model B Flyer.
According to Bevirt, the company is building the future of aviation right where it all started, in Dayton, Ohio. As the Wright brothers harnessed the revolutionary technology of their time to open up the skies, Joby Aviation also intends to do the same by bringing quiet and emissions-free flight, which they hope will have an equally profound impact on the planet.
Furthermore, Ohio is also the leading state in supplying parts for Boeing and Airbus. Meanwhile, it gets the third spot in the U.S. on manufacturing jobs. That extent of manufacturing prowess is critical to the company as it looks to build this manufacturing facility.
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