Inside Joby Aviation: Revolutionizing Urban Air Mobility

Sandy had the opportunity to tour Joby's facilities and explore the advanced technology behind their eVTOL aircraft. Sandy speaks with JoeBen Bevirt - founder and Chief Executive Officer of Joby Aviation along with Jon Wagner -Lead on Powertrain and Electronics.
Munro Live is a KZbin channel that features Sandy Munro and other engineers from Munro & Associates. Munro is an engineering consulting firm and a world leader in reverse engineering, costing, and teardown benchmarking.
Munro Home of Lean Design
leandesign.com/
We would really appreciate it if you subscribe to our channel. The more subscribers we have, the more opportunities and teardowns we will be able to bring to you!
For more behind the scenes content:
X/Twitter: / live_munro
Instagram: / munrolive
LinkedIn: / munro-live
Munro Live Podcast: / @munrolivepodcast
Inquiries: [e-mail]
For Exclusive Content Join our Patreon!
Patreon: / munrolive
#joby #evtol #aviation

[@f4c3l355]

Love the guy and his almost childish excitement explaining stuff to Sandy

[@TeddyLeppard]

"Childlike", not "childish".

[@PhotoHoag]

Good to see lots of the small stuff seeing so much engineering attention. This company has IT!

[@davidtadic4716]

Thank you Munro team for bringing the best industry practices around the globe again.

[@r.a.monigold9789]

As a 78 y.o. one eyed former Pro driver and part time flyer in the Army and later in Alaska, I gave up my licenses freely for the sake of those who might get near me. With Self Driving Cars and Jobe Vertols I am confident I'll be taking a Cybercab to Detroit for a Jobe ride. Thanks to ALL involved. This is magic manifested in all four dimensions ! !

[@user-vp1sc7tt4m]

Well put, very well the same as I feel!

[@BlueEyed888]

Fantastic to see JOBY being showcased by Sandy Munro! This is by far the most comprehensive look into the eVTOL sector leader's progress at the plant. Looking to the future I can only imagine what JOBY will be able to achieve once solid state batteries become available which should be soon. the current 288 Wh/Kg is sufficient to launch but the new 721 Wh/kg batteries in development will just totally disrupt the entire helicopter sector. Good days ahead for JOBY!

[@colinbowman8816]

What new batteries? Every time I look, there's some promising new battery being tested in a lab. For many valid reasons, they don't make it to production.

[@skipondowntheroad5833]

If you expect to see widely available 721 Wh/kg cells anytime soon, you might be disappointed. Starting from 288 Wh/kg, if cell energy densities advance by an optimistic 5 percent per year, they would reach around 469 Wh/kg in 10 years.

[@dogbreath6974]

@@skipondowntheroad5833 BYD have a working 500wh per kg battery, it was discussed on Just have a think channel.

[@shazam6274]

Nonsense! The weight and energy density of the batteries is about the same, regardless of the electrolyte. Manufacturing efficiency (time and cost) is the main advantage for "solid" batteries, but overall costs might be the same because of what "replaces" the liquid (jelled) electrolyte: metal. The size and volume remains about the same, but the cost of using more metals adds to the cost, currently negating the manufacturing cost over the liquid electrolyte batteries because the liquid electrolyte is less expensive than the additional Lithium of the "solid" batteries.

[@TheBagOfHolding]

He said they will fully enclose the battery in titaium and hermetically seal it with laser welds. That will 💥

[@RagnarinVa]

This is a great episode. Wow. I had to watch it twice. How Joby is approaching electric aircraft is fascinating.

[@MunroLive]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@lpdirv]

Love it, really really love it. As a helicopter guy, this is wonderful for those specific applications. No helicopters will not go away, this is for where helicopters are impractical. Its like a peak into Skunkworks.

[@sphudson]

Thank you Sandy for the outstanding video! It looks like you really enjoyed yourself touring the Joby facilities.❤

[@airheart1]

I bought into these guys, just a little bit, last year when I first heard about them.. the product.. and the teams they acquired to build it. This is just confirming my suspicion of what I saw. Hope they hit a homerun! Both selfishly and for all our sakes. This is a great tech for many reasons. IF they can pull it off affordably and safely.. it's just a huge step forward in mobility in a sustainable way.

[@MrJesse1479]

I'm adding every 2 weeks. Archer and Lilium.

[@shazam6274]

I finally agree with Sandy. What Joby is doing is comprehensive, best practices and very impressive. Not detailed, but implied by the design, is the safety and reliability which is key not only for FAA approval, but passenger acceptance. Perhaps in a year or two, there will be a few in daily flight testing. and by 2030 actual deployment and use.

[@UshankaShow]

That's the future of transportation! Thank you for the video

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

🙋‍♂️THANKS SANDY,JOEBEN, AND MUNRO FOR SHARING THE FUTURE 🥶💚💚💚

[@nuttyDesignAndFab]

@9:25 "vertical take off eats a shi...a tremendous amount of power" love you Sandy 🤣

[@markplott4820]

VTOL is a Flying Brick , when the power fails.

[@Tooradj]

@@markplott4820This one, much less than a helicopter. Got wings with multiple propulsion. So if you are comfortable flying a helicopter, you should be more comfortable flying this.

[@Mrbfgray]

​@@Tooradj Helicopters can "glide" (autorotate) very well from normal flight, either will kill you from a hover. If *this* VTOL lost all power it should be capable of reasonable glide *IF* props feather, from normal flight condition, aka, not hanging on the props.

[@markplott4820]

@@Tooradj - Helicopters are more Complex & heavy . (somewhat less reliable). VTOL is OLD TECH , they haven't solved the Major issues yet.

[@Tooradj]

@@markplott4820 Please expand what major issues? If they can make short trips with current battery tech and have a real business case for limited applications, their use will only expand as battery density improves. Softwear technology for drones has improved significantly in recent years. VTOLs that take advantage of that with additional redundancy for safety, and can operate more quietly in City environment, can replace some helicopters. They don't have to replace them all yet.

[@1Esteband]

Thank you for showing other innovative ideas in play.

[@optimagroup11]

Thanks, Sandy. I always learn a bunch of new things from every Munro Live video. All the best to everyone in the video. SoCalFreddy

[@jwestney2859]

Another incredible video from Munro! Watch it!

[@MunroLive]

Thanks again!

[@marcmayou1422]

Very Good Sandy I live near Marina, I had a few friends that went to work there when it was a start up. Glad to see it is progressing well.

[@PeteLenz]

Some of these components deserve their own segment! That prop!!😍

[@TheBagOfHolding]

hermetically sealed batteries💥

[@alanmay7929]

@@TheBagOfHolding they are definetly not hermetically sealed and they were failure tested lol!!!! who in his mind would seal batteries?! this is aviation sector my guy!

[@TheBagOfHolding]

@@alanmay7929 he said they were in this video.

[@alanmay7929]

@@TheBagOfHolding he said properly concealed not totally sealed

[@TheBagOfHolding]

@alanmay7929 31:07 who tested them? I don't think they are at the stage where they have proven anything.

[@davidanalyst671]

While the founder is awkward, the systems they have are great, they have 3d titanium for... coolant Im assuming, they have autoclaves for making composite parts, the lab is VERY extensive, and well thought out, the motors are pretty slick putting all the moving parts and inverter in one package, and the engineering thought they put into just the plug is great. I hope this company is able to keep going, just don't read all the haters in the comments section here lolz

[@backacheache]

I'd be nervous too, showing Sandy around your manufacturing would be like showing Lang-lang what you can do with a piano!

[@diracspinors]

The founder was extremely awkward, I could hardly tolerate listening to him. The second half was much better presented.

[@truthseeker111]

This coming from a person who wrote this synopsis as a fifth grader. 🙃

[@UAMJobyAviation]

I'm waiting! GoGo Joby!

[@kimryu3060]

조은남님ㅋㅋ!!!

[@rickfearn3663]

Absolutely riveting. The innovation in technology is inspiring. Thanks Sandy for exposing us.

[@GoSolarPlz]

Wow high praise from Sandy! This company has my attention!

[@SolidProofEngineer]

This is a great example of modern designing, i loved it....thanks Sandy

[@patrickmckowen2999]

Great stuff 👍

[@PeteLenz]

Love seeing this side of Munro’s expertise!

[@thomas6502]

Super cool. Thanks!

[@FOH3663]

Nice Had no idea we were at this level of development.

[@jmirodg7094]

extremely interesting! thanks

[@Tien1million]

That was a great walk through, some really nice engineering.

[@MunroLive]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@alfedtron9043]

I wish I was younger so I could see all this come about thinks for showing this much!

[@RL.777]

Great video Sandy!!!

[@roccovolpe5384]

Chapeau Sandy👏👏👏

[@deltajohnny]

Awesome technology! 😍😍😍😍

[@CraigVanSickleAK]

Great video Sandy, thanks to you and the Joby team for sharing.

[@MunroLive]

Our pleasure!

[@MonsterSound]

Go Go Joby !

[@___auburn___]

WOW just WOW. They know their stuff.

[@feedvid]

Fantastic. I wish them big success.

[@md.hridoy1533]

Awesome

[@brettscott7614]

nice visit and good video

[@MunroLive]

Thank you very much!

[@stage274]

Great!

[@jake5993]

Tesla of the skys!! Way to go JOBY!

[@markplott4820]

we shall see.

[@user-vp1sc7tt4m]

@@markplott4820 Joby seems to be hitting on key known or currently imagined safety point concerns. What don't we know, I'm sure they are working on discovery. Would I fly in a Joby? I'm a yes.

[@jairokg]

Wow. This is gonna be a good one

[@MunroLive]

it is!

[@ODIS-bp1ks]

WOW!

[@ThePhilosophyOfNature]

Do not change man who make intro!!! Thank You for informative video.

[@JigilJigil]

great.

[@trizvanov]

At 21:40 I can see they're using X-Plane internals for the simulation. Great stuff!

[@larryblount3358]

Always educational to see a mfg site. It was a treat to see how new tech is manufactured into real products. Will they let me fly one of these lovely machines? Even a sim flight would be cool.

[@OliverWalker-Jones]

You'll be able to fly the Joby aircraft as part of the next release of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (November launch)

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

THANKS JOHN TOO…SANDY IS DELIGHTED AND AMAZED 🤯…I AM ALSO DELIGHTED 🤗 AND AMAZED 🤯🤯🤯

[@tjmozdzen]

I need one of these.

[@tvguide4khv]

So glad this is really flies

[@sageakporherhe783]

Never heard of them until today, so these guys are the current leaders in eVTOL?

[@RayNLA]

In the US yes! Look to China to be a leader they already have a certified VTOL for passengers.

[@sphudson]

Yes, just research it more. This video only shows a fraction of what they do. They have a staff of over 650 software engineers and various parts of the world.

[@backacheache]

I can imagine this would be a game-changer in the military, even for simple tasks such as ship-to-shore passenger transportation

[@itisim]

Yes

[@onewhostudies6856]

A launch area that provides an upward whoosh would conserve a lot of energy for the initial lift off. think of the indoor skydiving.

[@nguyep4]

Or connect to ground power for the initial launch sequence, then disengage?

[@backacheache]

​@@nguyep4yes possibly combined with a super capacitor to keep that initial kick going a few seconds longer

[@ligius3]

So refreshing to see someone that's not a used car salesman explain the mission and challenges. Not sure if assembling your own PCB amounts to savings since those companies are very cost-optimized already. I'm wary of autonomous 3D pathfinding since there was already one company promising this many years ago, at the cost of stakeholders, never actually delivering FSD to masses. And they would be one of the only ones who can actually deliver it. One dimension more is an order of magnitude harder. Disclaimer: I've worked in automotive, software, airspace obstacle avoidance and even a bit subcontracting for Boeing. The Jetsons are not coming soon.

[@sphudson]

Thanks! They don't assemble their own PCBs. They are assembled by a U.S. assembly house. The schematics, layout, procurement is all done in-house. PCBs are assembled externally and delivered back to Joby for EoL testing and integration.

[@shazam6274]

DIY PCBAs are only justifiable for rapidly evolving products, and even then, they cost more and take longer. Sandy, for all his knowledge and experience, has a poor understanding of electronics.

[@DarylOster]

FSF is at least an order of magnitude less complex than FSD on chaotic streets with pedestrians etc.

[@ligius3]

Flying at low altitude you need to deal with wires, drones, balloons, birds, temporary corridor or area restrictions, maintain safe distance from registered and unregistered (dark) aircrafts. Add also the complexity of carrying at least one person, with no license to take over the flight. And the requirement of ZERO crashes.

[@shazam6274]

@@ligius3 ya forgot to mention gravity. Yeah, when Sandy goes flying in one I'll start paying attention. But in all fairness, these guys are doing smart things and doing the "work".

[@MarcelHMSmits]

Very informative video. I like the transparency and all the proof points shown that Joby is making steady progress.

[@MunroLive]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@relax_overlay]

Sandy is also impressed by how tall the CEO is. Probably how Delta felt too.

[@1944chevytruck]

AWESOME VIDEO!

[@MunroLive]

Thanks!

[@Bob_Sacamano]

dope

[@buzzdean7756]

06:23 “no shit, wow” 😂😂😂😂

[@CyberTankMan]

👍

[@BartMassee]

I bought some joby a while back. solid looking enginering

[@BartMassee]

the silence is golden!❤

[@lennyvalentin6485]

Very (pleasantly!) surprised to see a Joby video from Munro, I must say. I totally did not expect that, with Munro's usual focus on the car industry... I've had an eye open for Joby for quite a few years now, I consider their design of craft to be one of the more viable ones, as many VTOL electric craft use separate lift and forward propulsion motors and impellers. So when you're in forward flight mode, you have a whole bunch of extra hardware weighing you down that is of zero use to you, and in fact is impacting your performance negatively, including a multitude of propellers sitting in the airstream causing drag, and while taking off and landing, you of course also have to lift all of the forward flight hardware. This is just straight-up bad design. Not so with the Joby burd. You use the same motors and propellers for both take-off and landings, as well as for forward flight, with a small mechanism to transition between the two modes which in of itself is much lighter than a whole bunch of entirely separate lift motors/inverters and cabling and so on, and doesn't cause any extra drag. It also means take-offs and landings will be much quieter with the Joby's large, slow-spinning propellers than for a craft using dedicated lift motors - because weight and drag is such a concern, the lift propellers can't be too large, so they'll have to spin very fast instead, meaning huge noise at an annoyingly high pitch. It'll be like the world's biggest swarm of industrial vacuum cleaners all running in the same place at the same time, coming in for a landing from up on above, any neighbors and so on are really gonna love that. Not to mention all the people living in a city. lol I expect that all those separate lift motor VTOL designs will be found to be a dead end within not too long, and the industry moving to a unified design instead. Of course, these tiny machines are just rich-man's toys and won't even make a dent in the fossil fuel usage curve. What we really need is fully electrical planes that can take upward of a couple hundred passengers at a time and will displace the kerosene-gulping turbofan engine aircraft we have today on the short to medium haul routes which most people fly.

[@bronxishomenomatterwhereig3149]

We gotta start somewhere. This is the very begining. Of fully electric passenger flying. Once this is proven to be viable? Like you said, an industry standard will be set. That will be improved upon, until we get to a point. That passenger long range planes can be fully electric.

[@gkkkk7507]

Lilium ❤️🚀🚀🚀

[@SuperUbuntudude]

Wow that is high praise form someone that matters.

[@TeddyLeppard]

Have those carbon fiber props been tested for resilience if one of these aircraft collides with a flock of ducks or geese? I'd be very concerned with the damage from such an encounter and the danger to the passengers. I trust the answer is "yes", but I'd like to hear it from Joby. Also, this company is a bit of a modern miracle, just like Tesla itself. Well-engineered and well-conceived machinery in an era when American companies face greater resistance to success than ever before in modern times. Keep going, folks.

[@fh1984_]

founded and FUNDED with his own money from other ventures...tells you a lot about Joe ben and whats different from them and many of these other pretenders (like Archer) who spun up in the last couple of years and have used public markets to fund their development having achieved nothing...spinning up many empty promises along the way. Joby are the real deal, the more you learn about the company the more you trust and admire how much work and diligence they have done to get their technology where it is today. Didnt happen quickly.

[@TheBagOfHolding]

It's on the stock market through a spac.

[@MrBadgas]

Great stuff Munro. Would love to know if IperionX is involved or supplying titanium powder. (Hope an NDA does not get in the way)

[@truthseeker111]

Absolutely brilliant innovation, thank you Sandy🏆Now onto my brokerage app to buy in 👌🏼

[@fredzirzowsr.8905]

Sandy great video. Question at 9:15 that gray piece looks to have a crack by the opening you were pointing at. Any thoughts? Also did you know about their secret test and development site in the quarry. ?

[@rhamph]

I spotted that too. I suspect it was a failed early print, but since they're using it for a display piece they accepted it anyway.

[@fredzirzowsr.8905]

@@rhamph yea I was thinking that might be the case. But I thought I would ask anyway. I worked in the auto industry and most management had no idea what they were looking at.

[@zenithstar11235]

@@fredzirzowsr.8905 Hah - I agree with on about most management, but yeah I think @rhamph is probably right about it being an early print - if it had a defect that kept it from being used but still looked pretty good it makes sense why it wind up in a display case.

[@garymcfadden2797]

I bought 10,000$ of Joby 3 years ago @5.30$. So far dead money but still hoping for take off. If it ever takes off 10 grand goes to 100,000$. If not it goes to 0️⃣

[@ZnOxide]

Revolution 🎉

[@markhapner8499]

CATL's new condensed battery at 500wh/kg should give Joby a boost. Will Toyota allow its use?

[@legionofsparta1827]

Sandy, your opinion to Lilium?

[@dukbokki9281]

Hurry up and buy Joby's stock before it's too late!

[@davefroman4700]

Considering that CATL just announced they are going to have a high density battery of 500w/kg in an aircraft by 2027-28 that will be capable of 2-3000 miles of range? These things are a slam dunk now. But the real disruption will be when they go autonomous. Because then the cost per mile will be peanuts.

[@backacheache]

I would imagine even now the pilots are there for reassurance rather than actual necessity

[@davefroman4700]

@@backacheache Very much so, in China. Both Xpeng and Uhang are operating autonomous drone passenger flights commercially already in Shenzhen.

[@gkkkk7507]

Lilium to the moon 🚀🚀🚀✈️✈️✈️

[@cakeismtrader4227]

When will Joby begin generating revenue and what is the outlook for profitability?

[@Ficon]

LOL

[@sphudson]

They already have revenue from DoD contracts as well as short-term investments totaling roughly $50M per quarter. Commercial operations will produce revenue starting around Q3 2025.

[@dhsajdak]

They have already generated some small revenue, but they will not be able to significantly scale up revenue until they receive regulatory approval from the FAA. They are on stage 4 of 5, which is the most extensive. Once they receive approval they will likely have a head start in capturing key markets for air taxis while others catch up. They are vertically integrated for providing air taxi services, but can also sell their aircraft.

[@peteorengo5888]

As an aeronautical engineer and former test pilot I appreciate the technological tour de force presented here. My question is; for the intended use as short range air taxi, how is this aircraft better than a Robinson R44? Helicopter air taxi has been available for decades with very limited success while utilizing aircraft with robust, certified and inexpensive technology. The Joby business model is predicated on building thousands of aircraft for a price that is quite frankly unrealistic and flying it into areas that have been off-limits to rotary aircraft also for decades.

[@zlcoolboy]

Wouldn't be surprised if this was more reliable than a helicopter.

[@peteorengo5888]

@@zlcoolboy Maybe eventually. Right now is unproven technology. Time will tell.

[@Sr_art_3862]

Next is Archer aviation

[@Tubethunder1]

Hello Team Munro. Uow about a visit at Lilium in Germany?

[@MunroLive]

Maybe.

[@alexandermarinosyan357]

Sandy has a great insight of what it takes to optimize a manufacturing process. I am surprised he doesn't use similar logic about optimization of everyday short distance transportation. Having a link relying on reaction from the atmosphere makes it orders of magnitude less efficient and strongly dependent on weather. Even the military being notorious for shoveling millions for exotic capabilities are dipping their toe in the water.

[@grmunson7503]

Interesting as always. Unfortunately, and it’s sad this comes to mind, but was there any discussion concerning the vulnerability of a system/vehicle like this to some nut or bad actor with a rifle, laser or something worse?

[@zenithstar11235]

Pretty much any piloted craft (air or ground) would suffer similarly from that kind of opposition.

[@garthp9874]

Now you just need to hire a "Henry Ford" to mass produce your magnificent product.

[@TheRealAndyR]

Just make sure you change the brand name before launching in Scotland.

[@GoSolarPlz]

Lollll or Australia and NZ. (Joby is a 💩)

[@sphudson]

Why?

[@TheRealAndyR]

@@sphudson I can't really think of a way to put this politely... Jobby is the Scottish slang word for poop.

[@WeBeGood06]

What is the Thrust to Weight ratio of these Helicopters

[@backacheache]

I live near a small airport and though the airport was there a 100 years before them, the neighbours still complain, so the fact that they are taking noise seriously is very wise.

[@solarcrystal5494]

since roads are made from asphalt (oil refining byproduct) and must be constantly resurfaced every few years, switching away from fossil fuels means we must switch away from roads for cars to air lanes for eVTOLs.

[@colinbowman8816]

Neveind that 1/3 of the evtol is also made of oil products, we're all gonna need to make lots more money to be able to afford to go anywhere. Would be a sight to behold though.

[@ozbandit]

What battery chemistry and energy density do those use atm?

[@zenithstar11235]

I think they're pretty similar to regular car EV batteries at the moment - I bet there's lots of room for improvement with newer chemistries, but I doubt they'll pursue that before getting that certification from the FAA. It'd be hard enough to prove out something like this even with 'regular' batteries, let alone experimental ones!

[@dertythegrower]

I have shared these every week for the last 4 years.. there is 3 doing it.. one American company, Archer, you should collab with, Munro Team. cheers from the Mitten.

[@dertythegrower]

sorry typo.. also the eHang, (in wallstreet also, but shanghai based) asian one is already flying in dubai and asia... theirs is more electric drone size for 2people

[@dertythegrower]

very under reported 3 companies!

[@daviddenley3512]

This is only the start of VTOL thank God, I can't help thinking that the open blades are highly susceptible to damage and is there any redundant engines? No and I don't think anyone has even considered it!

[@Chris-bg8mk]

Why is there a person wearing a supplied air respirator working alongside people wearing no respiratory protection?

[@zenithstar11235]

That PAPR unit? Probably had it on while it was needed and just didn't take it off when they came over.

[@GudieveNing]

22:45 Hugs!

[@jeffstoker1265]

12 a year will they need more money to scale up.How much to produce one unit.Any test flights with passeners onboard yet

[@arqueopterix007]

was excpeting for a flight

[@dglennon20]

Triplex.

[@saaf4027]

Joby shareholder❤ Drop 5% today😢

[@bronxishomenomatterwhereig3149]

Think long term. Don't stress over short term volatility

[@TheBagOfHolding]

If they lifted 5 weighted crash test dummies and demonstrated a complete unedited 20-mile flight, their stock would multiply instantly. Unfortunately there is no proof any multirotor evtol can lift a person and its battery for 5 minutes anywhere on earth.

[@peterh1512]

It's a impressive Plane, no doubt - but why they fly the Prototype old-school with a Testpilot in a Cockpit? Other Startups, like Lilium, fly their prototypes unmanned, this reduces Costs a Lot.

[@wifiguy_nz]

I do have to say, I could not work out who was the happiest to be in the video, Sandy, JoeBen or Jon. Thank you Sandy for a deep dive into this high tech leading industry of future flying transportation. A long dream since the days of "The Jestsons" for a lot of us. Stunning content of a high tech company that the world can take a lot from. I now ask "you" as the viewer, what would you want to achieve if you have the best team surrounding and supporting you?

[@jonathanmelhuish4530]

I quit flying on fossil fuel aircraft 16 years ago, I can't wait to go on my first pure-electric flight. Thanks for covering this!

[@GudieveNing]

Pipistrel & Evation Alice have you covered.

[@TheBagOfHolding]

💥A hermetically sealed battery. 💥

[@Cloxxki]

Since the rise and fall of the Moller flying car, I've not been convinced by any of these ventures that they're actually trying to succeed. Progress is insanely slow for the budgets they command. Unmanned flights with high cargo would be a BREEZE to set up for, to prove speed and range, and work on emergency protocols. Seems, these things are just still too crash happy to be even tried properly.

[@sphudson]

It is not a flying car. It is very real.

[@dhsajdak]

Comparing Joby to Moller is way off. Joby is much further along the certification process and is engineered much better.

[@rossnolan7283]

That superlight propeller blade will come off (literally) second best in a bird strike (if not just a sparrow) and the whole aircraft has already crashed from losing one. Joeben does not mention his time with Moller who provided the 'inspiration', the whole thing is way too top heavy and prone to being flipped over in blustery winds unlike helicopters but similar to hovercraft near lift off. The FAA published criteria require post failure 'glideability' at any point during transition or hover, this can't be done with no stored energy in the 'rotors' and no forward speed - there are numerous other shortcomings but aside from these the production techniques are way too slow,equivalent to hand built composite sailplanes of the past 60 plus years (tape laying and autovlaving is inherently slow, nothing like automotive pressings etc) too slow to build too slow to fly dangerous and actually noisy in HOVER where it matters (independent measurements confirm this , not taken upwind...) This entire evtol mad rush will not end well.