Joby Aviation, which is developing an "all-electric" aircraft for commercial passenger service, is starting testing at the National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex (NFAC), the world’s largest wind tunnel.
The company said it believes itself to be the first electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) company to test its propeller in the 40-by-80 foot wind tunnel, which is located at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.
"Data from propeller testing in the NFAC — widely considered to be the gold standard for aircraft aerodynamics and performance
— was instrumental in the development of a range of iconic vehicles, including the space shuttle, the V-22 Osprey, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and a number of next-generation helicopters," Joby said in a statement.
“Testing is a critical part of our aircraft program and the opportunity to gather data on the performance of our propellers in one of the world’s largest wind tunnels is an exciting step toward commercialisation,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and chief executive of Joby. “This facility helped introduce historic aircraft to the world, and now it’s doing the same for the next generation of sustainable aviation,” he added.