Try an Electric Air Taxi Simulator! Joby Aviation Lands at the 2026 Dayton Air Show

Dayton, Ohio may soon become a manufacturing hub for electric air taxis. eVTOL developer Joby Aviation selected the city as its production base in 2023, and while full-scale manufacturing has yet to begin in the birthplace of the Wright Brothers, local residents and visitors can get an early taste of the technology this weekend through a public eVTOL simulator experience.

Joby's mobile flight simulator will be open to attendees at the 2026 Dayton Air Show on Saturday and Sunday at Dayton International Airport (KDAY), offering a hands-on preview before the aircraft enters commercial service. The appearance marks the latest stop on the company's Electric Skies Tour, which Joby says will include more than 12 locations throughout 2026.

According to Joby, the mobile simulator is a simplified, more intuitive version of the two CAE professional flight training devices the company is seeking to certify. It is designed to give visitors a "passenger-centric, connected experience preview" that reflects the future the company has mapped out alongside partners such as Uber and Delta Air Lines.

Once the air taxi receives airworthiness certification, Joby expects its Dayton facility to support production of up to 500 aircraft per year. The facility currently manufactures individual components such as propeller blades, while complete prototypes are assembled in California.

How the Flight System Works

The air taxi replaces the traditional cockpit's banks of knobs and control sticks with a simplified fly-by-wire system, centered on a joystick and a Garmin G3000 touchscreen flight deck.

The aircraft is designed for a top cruise speed of 200 mph (approximately 322 km/h) and can carry one pilot and up to four passengers. Its tilt-rotor propulsion system combines the vertical takeoff and landing capabilities of a helicopter with the cruise efficiency of a fixed-wing aircraft.

Joby took delivery of its first jointly developed CAE flight simulator in January and has begun installation at its Marina, California training facility. Built on the CAE Helicopter 3000 series platform, Joby plans to certify the fixed-base device as a Level 7 Flight Training Device.

Before year-end, Joby expects to receive a second CAE unit — a six-axis full-flight simulator — for which it will seek Level C certification.

Joby says both CAE devices are "equipped with the same simulation technology used to train pilots at the world's leading airlines." CAE's Prodigy image generation system, which uses gaming technology — the same engine behind the popular video game Fortnite — can simulate real-world terrain across a 300×130-degree field of view and fully immerses pilots through audio cues, turbulence, and vibration, including the wind effects experienced when flying between skyscrapers.

"This is unmatched fidelity for a commercial training device," said Tim Middleton, who leads Joby's flight simulation training device integration program, in a recent LinkedIn post. Middleton previously spent 15 years at FlightSafety International.

"The way a pilot enters the cockpit is exactly as it would be in the real aircraft — through a real door," he said. "Once seated at actual flight controls, they have an unobstructed panoramic external view, including through the window of that same door."

However, a Joby spokesperson told FLYING magazine that the simulator on display in Dayton is far more simplified than the production version — intended for public engagement only, featuring a static seat, a 180-degree panoramic screen, and standard simulator rendering.

Pilot Training Program

Joby received FAA Part 141 authorization in 2024, allowing it to operate a flight school and train individuals outside the company. Training a single pilot costs approximately $60,000.

In January, the company stated that a single air taxi pilot could be trained in as little as six weeks, contingent on the use of a Level C full-flight simulator (FFS) — certification for which Joby has not yet obtained under Part 142 for non-company pilots.

Joby says the two CAE simulators will support training of up to 250 pilots per year. Because eVTOL air taxis combine characteristics of both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, the FAA classifies them under "powered lift" — the agency's newest aircraft category. FAA regulations issued in 2024 for initial powered-lift pilot training allow a higher proportion of training hours to be completed in a Level C FFS compared to traditional aircraft categories, partly because many manufacturers have designed aircraft without dual controls.

Upcoming Tour Stops

The public will have multiple opportunities across the United States to see Joby's aircraft and mobile simulator in action.

The 2026 Electric Skies Tour kicked off in March with a demonstration flight over San Francisco Bay. The following month, FLYING magazine was invited to John F. Kennedy International Airport (KJFK) to witness the air taxi prototype conduct a four-day flight demonstration over New York City, including flights above Manhattan.

In May, Joby brought the mobile simulator to the AAM Symposium in Florida, and showcased a full-scale demonstrator at the "America Innovates" event marking America's 250th anniversary in San Francisco. Earlier this month, the simulator stopped in North Carolina, where airport personnel, state Department of Transportation officials, and high school students all had the chance to try it. Joby also plans to bring its demonstrator to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in July.

As early as September, aviation enthusiasts could see Joby air taxis in up to 12 additional states. Joby is among the manufacturers selected for the FAA's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) spanning 26 states, under which participants will fly in pre-certification status over urban areas and in and out of airports. Joby has been selected for five of the eight eIPP lead projects. According to its Electric Skies webpage, Utah, Texas, Florida, and North Carolina are likely among the next demonstration locations.

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