FutureFlight
Joby: NASA Test Flights Prove eVTOL Noise Levels Will Be Acceptable in Cities
The noise testing used 50 omnidirectional microphones deployed in a grid over which the Joby prototype flew repeatedly to represent anticipated operational noise profiles.
Joby eVTOL prototype aircraft conducts noise testing with NASA.
Joby conducted flight tests with NASA to assess noise levels from its eVTOL prototype aircraft. (Image: Joby)

Joby claims results from recent NASA-backed flight tests with its eVTOL aircraft prototype demonstrate that noise from the four-passenger air taxi vehicle would be barely audible from city streets below. On May 10, the company published findings from a two-week trial as part of NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign.

During the flights, the Joby aircraft registered the equivalent of 45.2 dBA while cruising at an altitude of 500 meters (1,640 feet) at a speed of 100 kts (115 mph). Recordings made by NASA engineers also demonstrated an acoustic profile for the aircraft while taking off and landing that was below 65 dBA, which Joby said represented a noise level comparable to a normal conversation at a distance of 330 feet from the flight path.