Joby flies first eIPP demonstration flights in North Texas

Joby Aviation has begun its first flights under the federal eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, opening a week-long campaign of demonstrations across the Dallas-Fort Worth region. The first of these took place on September 10, 2026 at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, making it the program's first flight held in Texas. The Transportation Department introduced the program, known as eIPP, in March 2026 to test advanced air mobility aircraft and the ways they might be used in service. Developers selected for the program include Archer Aviation, BETA Technologies, Electra, Wisk and Joby. BETA Technologies flew the program's first flights in July 2026 in Maryland and Virginia, and Electra and Elroy Air have also completed eIPP flights without being eVTOL developers. Joby's schedule for the week includes a round trip on September 12 between Perot Field and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, entering controlled airspace to test operations between two major airports. A separate round trip from Perot Field is intended to show low-noise flight over built-up infrastructure, including the Fort Worth Stockyards. Later in the week the company plans to fly a planned operational route linking Perot Field with Toyota's corporate campus. The North Texas flights fall under the state transportation department's Project Nexus proposal, which pairs federal, state and local agencies with private companies on integrating electric air taxis into US airspace. Founder and chief executive JoeBen Bevirt said the program allows the company to operate its aircraft in urban settings and moves it closer to commercial service. For hard tech companies working on aircraft, propulsion and related hardware, the flights are a practical marker of how certification and airspace integration work is progressing. Demonstrations in controlled airspace and over populated areas are the stage at which engineering claims about noise, range and air traffic coordination are tested against regulator and community expectations rather than test-range conditions.