A pair of electric aircraft prototypes landed on the runway at Tampa International Airport (KTPA) on Friday as Florida looks to evaluate a planned aerial highway network.
According to FlightAware, Joby Aviation’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) prototype registered N545JX took off from Albert Whitted Airport (KSPG) in St. Petersburg at 10:01 a.m. EDT and landed at Tampa International (KTPA) 20 minutes later. Per audio captured on the ATC app, the air taxi circled in the Tampa area before entering Class B airspace. It then made a low approach and entered the right downwind to land at Tampa International’s Runway 1R.
The model is a preproduction prototype of the manufacturer’s planned eVTOL air taxi, which is designed for a pilot to fly up to four passengers on quiet, zero-emission trips reaching speeds up to 200 mph. It has six tilting propellers that give it VTOL capability while also supporting wingborne cruise. It is unclear whether the model landed vertically or conventionally at Tampa, but it did take off vertically from Albert Whitted.
Beta Technologies’ CX300, a conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) electric prototype, took off from Albert Whitted’s runway and joined Joby’s air taxi in a formation flight, also landing at Tampa. St. Petersburg-based digital news outlet I Love The Burg shared footage of the two aircraft flying together.
The CX300 is designed for a pilot and up to five passengers or up to 1,250 pounds of cargo, cruising at up to 153 knots. It has a demonstrated range of 336 nm. Whereas Joby is primarily focused on commercial passenger operations, Beta bills the CX300 as a multiuse aircraft for regional passenger, cargo,medical, and emergency response services. It is also developing an eVTOL aircraft, the Alia 250, and an MV250 defense variant…