20 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY SEPTEMBER 4-10, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Joby Aviation is getting close to turning its vision of air taxis into reality. But when will that future arrive, and who will benefit? By Erik Chalhoub Up in the Air On a stairwell that leads to the second floor of a hangar at the Marina Municipal Airport, signs point to a room labeled the “Vehicle Software Integration Lab.” In less technical English, it’s the flight simulation room, where new and experienced pilots practice flying a computer-generated version of a Joby Aviation aircraft. A sign on the door advises of a simulation in progress. Inside the room, the sounds of propellers from pilots in traditional aircraft taking off outside on the adjacent runway are muffled, if not completely eliminated. Peter Wilson, Joby’s director of flight standards and training, stands next to a full-scale replica of the aircraft’s flight deck that is situated in front of three large screens. If the image on the screens look familiar, it’s because it is: The Marina airport’s runway is shown in full high-definition display, the same scene one had experienced as they walked into the hangar in the first place. (It’s not an exact re-creation—there are too many fictional trees surrounding the airport, for example.) Wilson welcomes this reporter into the cockpit. There are two joysticks on each side: to the left is a handle that controls various functions, while the right is where most of the magic happens—just push or pull it in the direction you want to go. After the tap of a few buttons, the roar of the propellers (through surround-sound speakers) indicates that the aircraft has come to life (hence the quiet room—it’s important not to have sound contamination from the outside world as pilots are training). Wilson says to pull the joystick back, directing my vision to the radar on the instrument cluster, where I need to overlap two different-colored lines to reach altitude. On cue, the aircraft rises from the ground, hovering like a helicopter. It’s at this point where Wilson asks me what I’m doing. I admit I don’t really know—“Nothing?” Right answer, Wilson responds. While the Joby aircraft takes off vertically like a helicopter, controlling it isn’t anything like a helicopter—it’s much easier. The aircraft hovers by itself, while a helicopter pilot would be constantly working to keep it level and
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