Hanneke Weitering is a writer and editor with AIN covering advanced air mobility and new flight technologies. She became an aviation journalist and joined the AIN team in the summer of 2022 after reporting on spaceflight and astronomy for six years at Space.com. After earning a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she moved to New York City to pursue a master’s degree in science, health, and environmental reporting at New York University&#039;s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. She is now based in Seattle near Boeing Field and spends her free time exploring nature in the Pacific Northwest.

Science & Technology Editor

California-based eVTOL developer Joby Aviation has partnered with New York City’s Aviation High School to help prepare the next generation of aircraft engineers for “the electric age of flight,” the company announced this week.&nbsp;
With Joby and several competing firms planning to operate thousands of eVTOL air taxis before the end of this decade, there will be an increasing need for engineers, maintenance technicians, and other types of aviation professionals. Through this new partnership with Joby, students at&nbsp;Aviation High School will have the chance to get a head start in the burgeoning eVTOL industry.&nbsp;
Founded in 1936 in Long Island City, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, Aviation High School is a public school certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to train aircraft maintenance technicians. More than 2,000 students from across New York City’s five boroughs attend the school.
“With electrification and air taxis set to revolutionize the aviation industry, we are excited to partner with Joby to inspire and train our students to work with these cutting-edge technologies and prepare the talented young men and women of New York City for successful careers in the aviation world of tomorrow,” said Steven Jackson, the principal of Aviation High School.
“Industry partnerships such as the one between Aviation High School and Joby Aviation are key in ensuring our career-pathways programs are exciting, relevant to students’ interests, and valuable in preparing our young people for life after graduation,” said New York City Schools chancellor David Banks.&nbsp;
Joby, which recently <a href="https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2022/11/15/joby-plans-to-purchase-poly-campus-on-encinal-street/amp/">relocated its headquarters</a> to a new facility in Santa Cruz,&nbsp;says it has recently delivered four virtual-reality simulators to the high school, giving students the opportunity to virtually fly the company’s eVTOL aircraft. A company spokeswoman told&nbsp;FutureFlight&nbsp;that the students will also have opportunities to fly the actual aircraft.
"In addition, what we think is really special about this partnership&nbsp;is the opportunity to work with AVHS faculty on incorporating electric propulsion and other novel technologies into the school’s curriculum so they’ll be among the first maintainers trained up on the electric age of flight," the spokeswoman told FutureFlight.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/joby-evtol">Joby’s eVTOL</a> is a fully electric, piloted aircraft designed to carry four passengers up to 150 miles (240 kilometers). Joby says it has completed more than 1,000 test flights with its prototypes so far, and it aims to achieve type certification in 2024, with passenger operations starting in late 2024 or 2025.&nbsp;
According to Joby, 100 students at the school have already enrolled in Joby’s online Private Pilot Ground School course, which teaches basic aerodynamics and piloting skills. In January, Joby launched the Joby Aviation Academy, exclusively for its employees and their family members, as a “beta test” for its educational programs. At the time, the company <a href="https://twitter.com/jobyaviation/status/1480594046393409536">tweeted</a> that more than 400 people had signed up for the Private Pilot Ground School course. The course remains exclusively available to Joby employees, their immediate families, and Aviation High School students.&nbsp;

Hanneke Weitering

Chancellor of New York City Schools David Banks meets with students of Aviation High School to celebrate the partnership with Joby Aviation. Joby brought four virtual reality simulators to the school through which more than 700 students were able to experience eVTOL flight. (Photo: Aviation High School)

Joby Teams with NYC’s Aviation High School To Train eVTOL Workforce

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