Joby Aviation flew an electric aircraft demonstration at Orlando International Airport on November 4, using the airport’s new Vertipad Atlantis. The airport said the pad will help test procedures for electric aircraft that take off and land vertically at a busy commercial airport.
What Orlando tested
The Florida Department of Transportation hosted the flight. The airport says the demonstration used routes and procedures developed with the Federal Aviation Administration and NASA, and that Orlando air traffic controllers helped coordinate the operation.
The airport describes Vertipad Atlantis as a small takeoff and landing area that could support work on a future vertiport for commercial service. Its announcement gives no date for passenger flights or ticket sales.
Watch the demonstration footage linked by Orlando International Airport.
Archive photo of a Joby experimental aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on September 20, 2023. The image predates the Orlando demonstration. Photo: Harlan Huntington / U.S. Air Force, U.S. public domain. Resized and compressed to WebP.
