FAA eVTOL Certification Enters Final Stage: Joby Begins Passenger eIPP Flights Across Dallas–Fort Worth

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type-certification programme for eVTOL aircraft has entered its decisive phase. Joby Aviation is now in Stage 5 of the FAA's five-stage process — the final “Show & Verify” step — with its first FAA-conforming S4 aircraft flying under Type Inspection Authorisation since March 2026. As of its Q2 2026 letter, Joby had five conforming aircraft flying and twelve more in production, and it continues to target type certification by the end of 2026.

In September 2026, Joby launched a week-long campaign of passenger-carrying demonstration flights under the FAA's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), flying realistic point-to-point routes across Dallas–Fort Worth under TxDOT's Project Nexus — including direct flights into Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, one of the busiest Class B airspace complexes in the United States. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the flights generate exactly the kind of operational data the agency needs to write the integration rules for advanced air mobility (AAM). Alongside the eVTOL programme, Joby's autonomously retrofitted Cessna 208B Caravan has completed coast-to-coast demonstration flights.

院校视角（中文）：eIPP 的核心产出不只是飞行本身，而是“运行数据→培训标准”的转化链——FAA 的八个 AAM 试点项目都带有飞行员训练与运行要素，将直接塑造未来的 eVTOL 驾驶员型别等级与机务培训规则。对国内院校而言，跟踪 FAA/EASA 的培训标准演化，有助于在“低空+国际标准”课程模块上抢占先机。