Airplane News: Joby eVTOL Mishap, FAA to certify 787s, 3 Helicopter Crashes, Autoflight Prosperity

This week in airplane news, Joby Evtol has experienced a mishap during flight testing, The FAA will certify every 787 off the line, 3 helicopter crashes caught on camera this week, and finally a successful flight test by the Autoflight Prosperity.

A Joby prototype aircraft was involved in an accident during flight testing last Wednesday. The aircraft was being remotely piloted, and there were no injuries. “Safety is a core value for Joby, which is why we have been expanding our flight envelope with a remote pilot and in an uninhabited area, especially as we operate outside expected operating conditions. Experimental flight test programs are intentionally designed to determine the limits of aircraft performance, and accidents are unfortunately a possibility. We will be supporting the relevant authorities in investigating the accident thoroughly.” https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/evtols-urban-mobility/joby-evtol-involved-in-testing-accident/

The FAA administrator said that Boeing needs “a systemic fix to their production processes” and until this fix is implemented, FAA inspectors will sign off on each aircraft. The administrator also said that quality control issues that stopped Boeing deliveries are up to being to fix and that by fixing these QC issues, Boeing will “increase the confidence we have in the stability of their processes, because we will actually be there looking at the results of each airplane as it comes off the line.” https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/faa-inspectors-to-certify-each-787/

There have been 3 helicopter crashes this week caught on camera.

Florida - the helicopter crashed into the surf near swimmers. Both passengers were transported to the hospital with broken backs

California - This crash appeared to be mechanical issues, crashing into a marina area. One passenger was killed and the other seriously injured.

Utah - This crash was two national guard BlackHawks attempting to land in the snow. No injuries. Portions of the rotor from the first helicopter struck the second causing both to go down.

The Autoflight Prosperity has completed a proof of concept test flight. This flight involved the transition from vertical flight to horizontal flight and back. The company hopes to have this aircraft certified in Europe by 2025. https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/evtols-urban-mobility/autoflight-evtol-completes-transition-test-flight/