Joby S4
Joby Aviation · United States · first flew 2017 · transport aircraft
The Joby S4 is a five-seat electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi, designed to carry a pilot and four passengers on short city hops at up to 200 mph. It is one of the front-runners in the race to certify electric urban air mobility.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turboshaft, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Smooth composite pod fuselage with fixed tricycle gear and near-silent flight |
| T — Tail | V-tail |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Six tilting electric rotors — four along the gull wing, two on the V-tail
- Takes off and lands vertically like a helicopter, then cruises like an aeroplane
- Smooth composite pod fuselage with fixed tricycle gear and near-silent flight
Count the propellers: six large rotors, four on the high gull wing and two atop the V-tail, all able to tilt from lift to cruise. In forward flight it resembles a smooth, oversized motor-glider that is uncannily quiet.
Specifications
- The Joby S4 has a length of 6.4 m (21 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 11.9 m (39 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 322 km/h (200 mph).
- Typical crew: 1 pilot + 4 passengers.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
JoeBen Bevirt's California start-up flew its first full-scale S4 prototype in 2017 after years of sub-scale testing, backed by Toyota and later Delta Air Lines. Pre-production aircraft have since flown extensive FAA certification campaigns, exhibition flights over New York, and demonstrations in Dubai, Japan and Korea.
Variants
Successive S4 iterations have refined the six-rotor tilt-prop layout, and production-conforming aircraft are being built at Marina, California and a Dayton, Ohio plant. Joby also delivered aircraft to the US Air Force under the Agility Prime programme.
Where you'll see it
The S4 is not yet in commercial service; planned launch markets include Dubai and US cities, with airline-style routes to airports. There is no UK operation, though the eVTOL sector it leads is closely watched by British rivals such as Vertical Aerospace.
Related aircraft
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