A Flying Prius? Toyota’s $500M Bet on Air Taxis

Good morning! I just filmed a Pilatus PC-12 for my second-ever airplane review (coming soon). But this time it was at my local stomping grounds with an aerial firefighting company I used to fly for, Bridger Aerospace. It’s the beginning of Phase Two of my Flybuyer master plan — dedicated aircraft walk-around videos on YouTube. I’ll hopefully be able to film a Kodiak, Aero Commander and Super Scooper from their fleet in the coming days, but active wildfires keep delaying my efforts. Fingers crossed that my luck improves and fire season will soon come to an end here in the Mountain West 🛩️

-Rob Roy

In today’s email:

• Joby Aviation Receives $500 Million Investment, Relief Operations Mobilize After Helene, Hurricane Milton Grounds Florida

• Around the Skies: Textron's eVTOL takes flight, FAA backs airport upgrade, New AOPA leadership, Military eyes hybrid aircraft, California bans leaded Avgas, Help support North Carolina helicopter airdrops

• PilotTube: Inside look at the Coast Guard's aerial rescues

THE BUSINESS OF AVIATION

Toyota Doubles Down on Air Taxis with Joby Investment

Toyota is stepping up its game in the skies by investing an additional $500 million in Joby Aviation, an electric air-taxi developer they've been backing since 2019. With this latest cash injection, Toyota's total investment in Joby now hits a cool $894 million. The goal? To help Joby get its air taxis certified and ready for commercial production, pushing their shared vision of sustainable air mobility closer to reality. It’s like Uber, but in the sky (and with a lot more tech involved).

This fresh round of funding will come in two $250 million chunks, with the first closing by the end of this year and the second landing next year. The money is focused on creating a manufacturing alliance as Joby prepares to commercialize its air taxi service. Toyota, the carmaker that brought you the Prius, is now trying to help you catch a ride on an electric air taxi, proving once again that it's not just thinking outside the box — it’s flying above it.

However, Toyota has been more than just a checkbook for Joby. Beyond their cash contributions, they’ve lent their expertise in process planning, manufacturing and design. Last year, they even inked a deal to supply key components for Joby's aircraft, ensuring that these flying taxis will have Toyota’s legendary precision behind them. So, when your air taxi takes off as smoothly as a Camry cruising down the highway, you’ll know why.

The partnership has been a long time coming, with nearly seven years of collaboration between the two companies. Joby CEO JoeBen Bevirt couldn’t be more thrilled, praising Toyota for playing a key role in their journey toward bringing futuristic air travel to the masses. Toyota’s operating officer Tetsuo Ogawa echoed the sentiment, emphasizing that both companies are on the same page about sustainable flight being the key to solving modern mobility challenges.

Volunteer Aviation Shines After Helene | Milton Now a Category 5 Hurricane

In response to Hurricane Helene, aviation groups across North Carolina and Tennessee have mobilized to deliver critical supplies to remote communities cut off by flooding and landslides. Volunteers from the Carolina Aviators Network, EAA and Operation Airdrop are using private planes and helicopters to transport food, medical supplies and other essentials to those stranded in hard-to-reach areas. With large relief agencies focused on bigger cities, these grassroots efforts are targeting smaller, isolated regions, flying hundreds of missions to ensure aid reaches those most in need.

The effort has been impressive, with over 50,000 pounds of supplies delivered in a single day by volunteer pilots. Coordinating from local airports, teams ensure that planes are loaded efficiently, matching the right aircraft to the right mission based on weight and runway requirements. As the need for aid continues, the call is out for more pilots, aircraft, and donations to sustain the relief efforts. Organizers like Chris Williams of Western Carolina Regional Airport are committed to getting supplies directly to those affected, whether by air or ground, and ensuring that no one is left behind in the recovery.

But it’s not been smooth sailing for all — Pilot Jordan Seidhom, a volunteer firefighter and certified law enforcement officer, used his personal helicopter to rescue multiple flood victims. Coordinating with local authorities, Seidhom provided food, water and transportation to stranded individuals. However, his efforts were halted when a local fire chief threatened him with arrest for not coordinating with their operations. Despite this, Seidhom managed to rescue several people, though he had to cease further missions after the confrontation. He later continued supporting the relief effort through volunteer groups.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane within 24 hours, with wind speeds reaching 180 mph. Unusually warm Gulf of Mexico waters and a lack of wind shear fueled this hyper-intensification. The storm is projected to make landfall in western Florida, potentially hitting Tampa Bay with a 15-foot storm surge. Although expected to weaken slightly before landfall, Milton remains extremely dangerous, with its unusual trajectory and rapid intensification surprising experts.

Aviation operations in the Sunshine State are now in full crisis mode. Major airports in Miami, Orlando and Tampa have grounded countless flights, with airlines scrambling to keep passengers safe and offering flexible rebooking options. Warmer ocean temperatures and atmospheric conditions contributed to the storm’s rapid growth, making it one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic and triggering Florida’s largest evacuation in several years.

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AROUND THE SKIES

🛩️  Textron eAviation’s Nexus eVTOL is coming together in Wichita, where the team is building what could be the future of air travel — complete with 50 feet of wing and 2,000 pounds of liquid-cooled batteries to help it take off like a champ. With six massive propellers and tech borrowed from its sister companies, this four-passenger flying machine is set to make sustainable flight a reality by the 2030s.

🛩️ The FAA is dropping $290 million to give Charlotte Douglas International Airport a shiny new runway, aiming to cut delays and make flying out of one of the world’s busiest airports a little less chaotic. With this fourth runway, Charlotte's gearing up to handle even more flights, because why stop at 700 flights a day when you can squeeze in a few more?

🛩️ Darren Pleasance, a seasoned aviator with over 8,000 flight hours and experience flying everything from trainers to business jets, has been named the new president and CEO of the AOPA, beginning this coming January 1st.

🛩️ The U.S. military just got a front-row seat to Electra’s hybrid-electric aircraft, which can take off and land in 150 feet. During demo flights in Virginia, the aircraft impressed Army, Navy and Air Force personnel, showing off its potential for resupply missions and medical evacuations, all while being quieter and cheaper to run than traditional helicopters.

🛩️ California is grounding leaded avgas with a new law banning it by 2031, making it the first such state to do so. The FAA's got until then to come up with a replacement or pilots will have to find an alternative fuel fast. Rumblings are that other states may soon be passing similar laws…

🛩️ Hurricane Helene has left North Carolina's mountain communities stranded without access to food, water or medical aid due to severe flooding and landslides. Contributions to this pilot’s GoFundMe will help fund helicopter fuel for airdrops of life-saving supplies to these remote areas. Any support offered could make a meaningful difference in delivering aid to those most affected.

PilotTube

The timing for this video is [unfortunately] very fitting. Watch as Coast Guard crews in Alaska brave the cold and gear up for helicopter rescue missions. And you can bet your bottom dollar that crews in Florida are preparing to do the same.

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