Joby Aviation is seeking permission for a series of high-profile air taxi flights over San Francisco Bay, according to documents filed with the FCC and obtained by TechCrunch.
The tests of the startup’s second-generation pre-production prototype, called the S4, would be the first in full view of the public and the first in an urban environment.
The proposed San Francisco tests are centered around two prime sightseeing points in San Francisco Bay. One is about halfway between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island, the other is south of the Bay Bridge, closer to Alameda.
“We’re currently in the early stages of exploring the potential to perform a limited number of flights,” said Oliver Walker-Jones, Joby’s head of marketing, communications and brand. “We have no confirmed plans yet and securing permission to do so requires us to work with a range of local and federal authorities. That said, this is all very exciting.”
The flights over the Bay would follow a year of record-breaking flights, including the longest (155 miles), fastest (205mph) and, Joby now claims to TechCrunch, the highest ever flights of an electric vertical take-off and la …
