American firm Joby Aviation, opting for a certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has received dedicated software engineering services from the Costa Rican firm Avionyx, for the development of the avionics systems for eVTOL/UAM, helicopters, and fixed-wing aircraft.
Joby Aviation is a firm that is nurturing a fully electric four-passenger aircraft that can take off and land vertically with a maximum range of 241 kilometers and a maximum speed of 322 kilometers per hour. The firm focuses to launch a passenger service in 2024, to offer a fast, clean and quiet form of transportation in congested metropolitan areas and other communities.
In addition to software development services, Avionyx will offer Joby Aviation software verification services, which comprises a series of rigorous tests that are performed on the software in order to showcase that it is safe, and thus achieve certification before the FAA. With this contract, the national firm would expand its payroll by at least 40 engineers to carry out the aforementioned tasks.
Larry Allgood, CEO of Avionyx stated: “This opportunity with Joby Aviation will certainly put the companies of the Costa Rican Aerospace Cluster on the radar of more than 200 manufacturers of eVTOL (electrical Vertical Take-Off and Landing) type vehicles that currently exist, stimulating growth for the country and for the professional careers of Costa Rica’s talented engineers.”
PROCOMER’s Export Director Alvaro Piedra stated: “for PROCOMER and for the Costa Rica Aerospace Cluster (CRAC) consortium, this Avionyx business is a great opportunity for the entire Costa Rican aerospace industry since it is positioning Costa Rican talent in tasks as sophisticated as aircraft test software. This achievement by Avionyx supports and enhances all the work that CRAC has been doing in the North American market together with PROCOMER.”
Esteban Carrillo, executive director of CRAC stated: “the concept of air mobility (air mobility) is becoming the worldwide trend in the development of innovation and new technologies in the aerospace sector.”
Esteban further added: “The inclusion of Avionyx within this chain supply shows that Costa Rica is ready to be a highly relevant player for this emerging sector. Little by little, we have to increase the number of companies that are active in the supply chain of companies like Joby Aviation so that in the short term we will be identified worldwide for being a strategic player in the development of these new technologies.”
