Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Joby Aviation this week relaunched the annual Elevate Summit previously staged by Uber, with a 2022 gathering of advanced air mobility (AAM) experts to be held on October 12 and 13 in Brooklyn, New York. In early 2020, ride-hailing giant Uber sold&nbsp;its Elevate flight booking platform to Joby, having staged the third Elevate Summit in Washington, D.C., in June of that year. Due mainly to Covid restrictions, the event was not held in 2020 and 2021.
According to Joby, which is working to certify its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft in time to start commercial operations in 2024, the summit will once again focus on how the “aerial ridesharing ecosystem” can be established with discussions between aircraft manufacturers, supply chain companies, investors, city officials, and real estate developers.
The company has indicated that it intends to enable customers to book air and ground transportation arrangements through a combination of its own app and the main Uber platform.
“We launched the Elevate Summit five years ago to provide an open forum for this new industry to come together and embrace a shared vision of the future,” said Joby’s head of product Eric Allison, who was formerly head of Elevate at Uber. “Since then, the Summit has been established as a keystone event for aerial mobility, laying the foundation for the industry to make the leap from renderings to reality.”
Alison pointed out that since the last Elevate Summit, several AAM start-ups, including Joby, have raised large amounts of capital through initial public offerings. Joby is one of a small group of eVTOL contenders actively flight testing production-conforming full-scale prototype aircraft.
The 2022 Elevate Summit will be staged in the Duggal Greenhouse at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City. Joby says it will release further details about the event over the summer months. Previous gatherings have attracted more than 1,000 attendees, with speakers including senior FAA and NASA leaders, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Senators, and CEOs of Fortune 100 companies.

Charles Alcock

The annual Elevate Summit is resuming in October 2022, with Joby set to host the event launched by Uber and last held in Washington, D.C., in June 2019. (Image: Uber)

Joby Relaunches Annual Elevate Summit to Gather Aerial Mobility Expertise

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN