JULIE CARR SMYTH
Updated Mon, September 18, 2023
In this 2022 photo provided by Joby Aviation is Joby’s pre-production prototype aircraft at the company’s flight test facility in Marina, Calif. The same Ohio river valley where the Wright brothers pioneered human flight will soon manufacture cutting-edge electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. An agreement announced Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, between the state and Joby Aviation Inc. will bring air taxi production to a 140-acre site at Dayton International Airport by 2025.
(Eric Adams/Joby Aviation via AP)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The same Ohio river valley where the Wright brothers pioneered human flight will soon be manufacturing cutting-edge electric planes that take off and land vertically, under an agreement announced Monday between the state and Joby Aviation Inc.
“When you’re talking about air taxis, that’s the future,” Republican Gov. Mike DeWine told The Associated Press. “We find this very, very exciting — not only for the direct jobs and indirect jobs it’s going to create, but like Intel, it’s a signal to people that Ohio is looking to the future. This is a big deal for us.”
Around the world, electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL aircraft are entering the mainstream, though questions remain about noise levels and charging demands. Still, developers say the planes are nearing the day when they will provide a wide-scale alternative to shuttle individual people or small groups from rooftops and parking garages to their destinations, while avoiding the congested thoroughfares below.
Joby's decision to locate its first scaled manufacturing facility at a 140-acre (57-hectar) site at Dayton International Airport delivers on two decades of groundwork laid by the state’s leaders, Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said. Importantly, the site is near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratories.
“For a hundred years, the Dayton area has been a leader in aviation innovation,” Husted said. “But capturing a large-scale manufacturer of aircraft has always eluded the local economy there. With this announcement, that aspiration has been realized.”
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, lived and worked in Dayton. In 1910, they opened the first U.S. airplane factory there. To connect the historical dots, Joby's formal announcement Monday took place at Orville Wright's home, Hawthorn Hill, and concluded with a ceremonial flypast of a replica of the Wright Model B Flyer.
Joby’s production aircraft is designed to transport a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 miles (321.87 kilometers) per hour, with a maximum range of 100 miles (160.93 kilometers). Its quiet noise profile is barely audible against the backdrop of most cities, the company said. The plan is to place them in aerial ridesharing networks beginning in 2025.
The efforts of the Santa Cruz, California-based company are supported by partnerships with Toyota, Delta Air Lines, Intel and Uber. Joby is a 14-year-old company that went public in 2021 and became the first eVTOL firm to receive U.S. Air Force airworthiness certification.
The $500 million project is supported by up to $325 million in incentives from the state of Ohio, its JobsOhio economic development office and local government. With the funds, Joby plans to build an Ohio facility capable of delivering up to 500 aircraft a year and creating 2,000 jobs. The U.S. Department of Energy has invited Joby to apply for a loan to support development of the facility as a clean energy project.
Joby CEO JoeBen Bevirt told the AP that the company chose Ohio after an extensive and competitive search. Its financial package wasn't the largest, but the chance to bring the operation to the birthplace of aviation — with a workforce experienced in the field — sealed the deal, he said.
“Ohio is the No. 1 state when it comes to supplying parts for Boeing and Airbus," Bevirt said. "Ohio is No. 3 in the nation on manufacturing jobs — and that depth of manufacturing prowess, that workforce, is critical to us as we look to build this manufacturing facility.
JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef noted that its dedication to aviation has carried the Dayton area through serious economic challenges. That included the loss of tens of thousands of auto and auto parts manufacturing jobs in the early 2000s and the loss of ATM maker NCR Corp.'s headquarters to an Atlanta suburb in 2009.
“This marries that heritage and legacy of innovation in aviation with our nuts and bolts of manufacturing," Nauseef said. “It really marries those two together, and that’s never been married together before — not in this town. For a community the size of Dayton and Springfield, (whose people) take great pride, (and) have had rough, rough decades, it's a wonderful project.”
Bevirt said operations and hiring will begin immediately from existing buildings near the development site, contingent upon clearing the standard legal and regulatory hurdles. The site is large enough to eventually accommodate 2 square feet (18.58 hectars) of manufacturing space.
Construction on the manufacturing facility is expected to begin in 2024, with production to begin in 2025.
Toyota, a long-term investor, worked with Joby in 2019 to design and to successfully launch its pilot production line in Marina, California. The automaker will continue to advise Joby as it prepares for scaled production of its commercial passenger air taxi, the company said.
The announcement comes as a bipartisan group of Ohio's congressional representatives has recently stepped up efforts — following an earlier appeal by DeWine — to lure the U.S. Air Force’s new U.S. Space Command headquarters or Space Force units to Ohio. There, too, state leaders cite the aerospace legacy of the Wrights, as well as Ohio-born astronauts John Glenn and Neil Armstrong.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The same Ohio river valley where the Wright brothers pioneered human flight will soon be manufacturing cutting-edge electric planes that take off and land vertically, under an agreement announced Monday between the state and Joby Aviation Inc.
“When you’re talking about air taxis, that’s the future,” Republican Gov. Mike DeWine told The Associated Press. “We find this very, very exciting — not only for the direct jobs and indirect jobs it’s going to create, but like Intel, it’s a signal to people that Ohio is looking to the future. This is a big deal for us.”
Around the world, electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL aircraft are entering the mainstream, though questions remain about noise levels and charging demands. Still, developers say the planes are nearing the day when they will provide a wide-scale alternative to shuttle individual people or small groups from rooftops and parking garages to their destinations, while avoiding the congested thoroughfares below.
Joby's decision to locate its first scaled manufacturing facility at a 140-acre (57-hectar) site at Dayton International Airport delivers on two decades of groundwork laid by the state’s leaders, Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said. Importantly, the site is near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratories.
“For a hundred years, the Dayton area has been a leader in aviation innovation,” Husted said. “But capturing a large-scale manufacturer of aircraft has always eluded the local economy there. With this announcement, that aspiration has been realized.”
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, lived and worked in Dayton. In 1910, they opened the first U.S. airplane factory there. To connect the historical dots, Joby's formal announcement Monday took place at Orville Wright's home, Hawthorn Hill, and concluded with a ceremonial flypast of a replica of the Wright Model B Flyer.
Joby’s production aircraft is designed to transport a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 miles (321.87 kilometers) per hour, with a maximum range of 100 miles (160.93 kilometers). Its quiet noise profile is barely audible against the backdrop of most cities, the company said. The plan is to place them in aerial ridesharing networks beginning in 2025.
The efforts of the Santa Cruz, California-based company are supported by partnerships with Toyota, Delta Air Lines, Intel and Uber. Joby is a 14-year-old company that went public in 2021 and became the first eVTOL firm to receive U.S. Air Force airworthiness certification.
The $500 million project is supported by up to $325 million in incentives from the state of Ohio, its JobsOhio economic development office and local government. With the funds, Joby plans to build an Ohio facility capable of delivering up to 500 aircraft a year and creating 2,000 jobs. The U.S. Department of Energy has invited Joby to apply for a loan to support development of the facility as a clean energy project.
Joby CEO JoeBen Bevirt told the AP that the company chose Ohio after an extensive and competitive search. Its financial package wasn't the largest, but the chance to bring the operation to the birthplace of aviation — with a workforce experienced in the field — sealed the deal, he said.
“Ohio is the No. 1 state when it comes to supplying parts for Boeing and Airbus," Bevirt said. "Ohio is No. 3 in the nation on manufacturing jobs — and that depth of manufacturing prowess, that workforce, is critical to us as we look to build this manufacturing facility.
JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef noted that its dedication to aviation has carried the Dayton area through serious economic challenges. That included the loss of tens of thousands of auto and auto parts manufacturing jobs in the early 2000s and the loss of ATM maker NCR Corp.'s headquarters to an Atlanta suburb in 2009.
“This marries that heritage and legacy of innovation in aviation with our nuts and bolts of manufacturing," Nauseef said. “It really marries those two together, and that’s never been married together before — not in this town. For a community the size of Dayton and Springfield, (whose people) take great pride, (and) have had rough, rough decades, it's a wonderful project.”
Bevirt said operations and hiring will begin immediately from existing buildings near the development site, contingent upon clearing the standard legal and regulatory hurdles. The site is large enough to eventually accommodate 2 square feet (18.58 hectars) of manufacturing space.
Construction on the manufacturing facility is expected to begin in 2024, with production to begin in 2025.
Toyota, a long-term investor, worked with Joby in 2019 to design and to successfully launch its pilot production line in Marina, California. The automaker will continue to advise Joby as it prepares for scaled production of its commercial passenger air taxi, the company said.
The announcement comes as a bipartisan group of Ohio's congressional representatives has recently stepped up efforts — following an earlier appeal by DeWine — to lure the U.S. Air Force’s new U.S. Space Command headquarters or Space Force units to Ohio. There, too, state leaders cite the aerospace legacy of the Wrights, as well as Ohio-born astronauts John Glenn and Neil Armstrong.
Joby Aviation to build air taxi production plant in Ohio
Valerie Insinna
Mon, September 18, 2023
A Joby Aviation Air Taxi is seen outside of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) ahead of their listing in Manhattan, New York City
By Valerie Insinna
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Electric aircraft maker Joby Aviation will invest up to $500 million to build a new facility in Dayton, Ohio, where it will mass produce air taxis, it said on Monday.
The 140-acre site at Dayton International Airport is set to be the first serial production location for the company, as opposed to the prototypes built at its pilot production line in California.
Joby founder JoeBen Bevirt told Reuters that the company is "driving vigorously" to win Federal Aviation Administration certification for its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft so that it can begin commercial passenger service in 2025.
Joby intends to begin hiring "immediately" to stand up manufacturing of aircraft components at existing buildings at the Dayton site, Bevirt said. Construction of the new production facility will begin in 2024, with operations to start in 2025.
Bevirt declined to comment on initial production rates and how much funding would be immediately allocated to construct the Dayton facility. The state of Ohio and several political organizations have offered up to $325 million in incentives and benefits to develop the Dayton site, Joby said.
Eventually, the site could accommodate manufacturing facilities that take up more space than the Pentagon, support 2,000 jobs and the production of 500 aircraft per year, Joby said.
Unlike eVTOL competitors like Archer Aviation and Beta Technologies, which intend to sell aircraft directly to airlines and logistics companies, Joby's business model more closely resembles rideshare apps, where customers can request a ride on an air taxi owned and operated by the company.
While Joby has been flying full-scale aircraft since 2017, it unveiled its first production-representative prototype in June, which can fit four passengers and a pilot.
Bevirt said the company is "ramping up the testing team aggressively" to conduct the thousands of tests and evaluations necessary to attain FAA certification.
(Reporting by Valerie Insinna; editing by Timothy Gardner)
‘Today is a historic day;’ Flying taxi company announces 2,000 jobs in Dayton region
WHIO Staff
Mon, September 18, 2023
An electric aircraft company is announcing that it will create 2,000 jobs and build about a half-billion-dollar manufacturing facility in the Dayton region.
Joby Aviation says it will bring an electric air taxi manufacturing facility to Dayton International Airport that will build, test, and fly all-electric, vertical take-off, and landing (eVTOL) air taxis for commercial passenger operations, Governor Mike DeWine’s office announced in a statement this morning.
Construction on the facility is expected to start next year and come online in 2025. Joby plans to produce as many as 500 aircraft per year.
News Center 7 will be at the formal announcement this morning at 10 a.m. and have updates throughout the day, including a live report on News Center 7 beginning at 5 p.m.
“Today is a historic day in Dayton, Ohio,” Jeff Hoagland, President and CEO of Dayton Development Coalition said in a one-on-one interview with News Center 7. “It is something that we’ve been working on for quite a while. But it’s something that we’re extremely proud of here in Dayton with it being the home of aviation in the first evolution of flight with the Wright brothers. And today, you know, with the third evolution, the flight with these electric, vertical, takeoff, and landing vehicles.”
He added both the city and state are getting back to its manufacturing roots. This includes Sierra Nevada Corporation building an MRO facility at Dayton International Airport.
Hoagland said Joby is following that trend.
“They’ve worked with the Air Force Research Laboratory with the Lifecycle Management Center and with others,” he told News Center 7. “What we’re seeing is the proximity matters to companies working with Wright Patterson Air Force Base and for this community to have access to this many jobs and great paying jobs and in an industry that I think young kids, middle-aged people, and others will really want to be a part of is it’s so exciting to not just today but for the future.”
Hoagland stated there will be all kinds of jobs created with this investment by Joby.
“The 2,000 jobs will be a combination of manufacturing jobs, engineering jobs,” he said. “The community will have access to it. But our goal is to attract other people from other states, to come to Dayton, Ohio, to be a part of something historic.”
Hoagland told News Center 7 that Ohio continues to win from an economic standpoint.
“We’ve seen the announcements like Intel Honda, Sierra Nevada Corporation and so many more,” he said. “But, you know, for our Dayton community to see these manufacturing companies coming back to Dayton, Ohio and opening now a manufacturing facility around aviation. It is going to get the attention of other companies throughout the world not just in the United States. But this is going to attract other companies for sure.”
Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted also spoke with News Center 7 about what this means for the Dayton region.
“The Dayton area has won the biggest Ohio economic development project of 2023,” he said. “Dayton has been the history of aviation and now, it’s going to be the future of aviation. Dayton has always had a lot of aviation invade innovation, but we’ve never captured a large-scale manufacturing company, manufacturing aircraft, and then all the jobs and supply chain that comes with it.”
Husted told News Center 7 it has been a strategy over the last 20 years of trying to build up Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
“We now are a leader in technology in the Dayton area. In this space, we have a testing facility at the Springfield airport where these types of electric and more automated type of aircraft systems are being tested,” he explained. “And because of all of that expertise that we have, we have gotten the competition to win.”
Joby looked at states across the country and picked Dayton, Ohio.
Husted also explained to News Center 7 how this electric aircraft would work.
“It’s kind of like an electric personal aircraft it will hold up to four people and has a range of 100 miles,” he said. “These aircraft are really the future of aviation transportation, and they could have gone anywhere. But because of what we’ve done over time in the state of Ohio, in the Dayton area; they picked Dayton as the best place in the country to do this.”
>>RELATED: First Look: “Flying car” arrives in Springfield
Husted also talked about the economic impact on the Dayton region.
“This is both a huge economic win in the number of jobs and the supply chain that comes with it,” he said. “But at reputation only, and psychologically, this is huge because it’s the first manufacturing facility of its kind to manufacture these next-generation aircraft in Dayton is going to be the home of it. And that from a reputation and motivation, from an economic point of view is just amazing. This will be a global story. And Dayton will be at the heart of it.”
Husted said the Dayton area’s pride in its aviation heritage made a difference in Joby coming to the region.
“There was in my mind, as I pitched to them, no better place in the world to do something like this than Dayton,” he said. “They ultimately agreed. Now, we’re going to see a major investment and a full-blown aircraft manufacturing facility operational in the Dayton area.”
“Ohio’s legacy in aviation leadership begins with the Wright Brothers and continues now with Joby Aviation, as they launch a new era in advanced aviation manufacturing and aerial mobility in Dayton,” said Governor DeWine in a statement Monday. “The aircraft that will roll off Joby Ohio’s production lines will redefine urban transportation and contribute to a transformational change in the way people and goods travel. We welcome Joby and celebrate the new chapter of air mobility history that will be made here in Ohio, the Heart of Aviation and Aerospace.”
The company said it will use existing nearby buildings for operations and the company’s new payroll is expected to surpass $140 million.
“Ohio has a long, rich history in aviation, and we’re proud to bring the next chapter of that story to life in the place where it all started,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO Joby Aviation. “As one of the top states in the country for aviation manufacturing and innovation, Ohio will play an important role in the future of our industry, and we’re looking forward to growing our team here.
“We’re grateful to Governor DeWine, Lt. Governor Husted, Senator Brown, Senator Vance, Representative Turner, and the team at JobsOhio for continuing to grow Ohio’s leadership in aviation and ensuring the U.S. continues to lead the way in delivering quiet, emissions-free flight.”
Joby Aviation’s Ohio investment is expected to significantly impact economic growth in both Ohio and across the country.
The new facility will likely draw other advanced air mobility opportunities in Ohio that could lead to an over statewide economic impact of $13 billion and create 15,000 new jobs in the state by 2045.
Lydia Mihalik, director for the Ohio Department of Development, called today’s announcements “big news for the Miami Valley and will be transformative for the people and families in the region.”
“Joby Aviation’s investment in Ohio will bring thousands of good paying jobs to the area,” she said. “When residents look to the sky, they’ll not only see the revolutionary aircraft technology made in their own backyard but also the limitless possibilities and opportunities that exist right here in Ohio.”
Photo credit to Joby Aviation website
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