The future of urban air travel descended on Monterey County this past weekend in a whisper-quiet demonstration that marked a watershed moment for electric aviation. For the first time ever at an American airshow, two California-based companies showcased their electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft—commonly known as flying taxis—before tens of thousands of spectators at the California International Airshow in Salinas.
Santa Cruz-based Joby Aviation and San Jose-headquartered Archer Aviation pulled off a technological feat that aviation experts have been anticipating for years. Their eVTOL aircraft took to the skies on October 4 and 5, offering the public its first glimpse of what urban commuting might look like in the not-so-distant future, as reported by Business Insider.
A Hometown Debut
The demonstrations carried special significance for both companies, which maintain deep roots in the region. Joby conducted an eight-mile flight from Marina Municipal Airport to the event venue in Salinas, according to Monterey Herald. Archer, which operates its test flight facility right at Salinas Municipal Airport and has been flying eVTOL aircraft there since 2021, brought nearly 1,000 team members to celebrate what Business Wire described as a “hometown demo flight.”
“The quietest attraction of the day” was how one announcer characterized the demonstrations. According to Business Insider, the 10-minute demos produced nothing more than a slight hum, barely audible over crowd chatter. “This is the future,” the announcer told spectators. “Try to listen to it. It will be a challenge.”
Cutting-Edge Technology on Display
Joby’s aircraft features six tilting propellers that rotate mid-flight, enabling seamless transitions from vertical takeoff to forward flight and allowing the vehicle to hover in place. During the demonstration, the company showcased a 540-degree spin while hovering in a single position, reports Business Insider. The aircraft’s cockpit boasts a flight control system that emulates an F-35 fighter jet, with company president Didier Papadopoulos noting that pilots with no aviation experience can become comfortable flying it after just 20 minutes in a simulator.
Archer’s Midnight eVTOL, meanwhile, demonstrated a more conventional takeoff from Salinas Municipal Airport’s runway before taking flight. The Midnight features 12 propellers—six tilt propellers and six fixed propellers—that provide both vertical and forward flight capabilities, according to Business Insider.
Racing Toward Commercial Service
The stakes couldn’t be higher for these demonstrations. Both companies are locked in an intense race to bring commercial air taxi services to market, with ambitious timelines that could reshape urban transportation within just a few years.
Joby, founded in 2009, has announced plans to carry its first passengers by 2026 in Dubai, where the company has exclusive rights to operate air taxis for six years, as reported by Joby Aviation. The company completed successful piloted test flights in Dubai in June 2025 and is moving forward with construction of vertiports—specialized takeoff and landing hubs—at Dubai International Airport and other key locations, according to Inc..
Archer has secured an even more prominent showcase: the seven-year-old company announced in May that it would partner with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics to transport VIPs and fans between venues, according to LA28. The exclusive partnership will feature the Midnight aircraft operating from vertiports at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, LAX Airport, and locations in Hollywood, Orange County, and Santa Monica.
The Promise: Faster Urban Commutes
The pitch from both companies is straightforward: dramatically reduce urban commute times while eliminating emissions and noise pollution. Joby’s aircraft has demonstrated a 150-mile range, though the company is optimizing for 20- to 30-mile trips in dense urban areas, as reported by Business Insider. Papadopoulos told the publication about a recent trip from an airport to the Osaka World Expo that took 90 minutes by car but “would’ve taken eight minutes exactly” in a Joby aircraft.
Archer envisions cutting the commute between Newark Liberty International Airport and downtown Manhattan to under 10 minutes—a corridor currently served by much noisier helicopters, according to Business Insider. The Midnight is designed to complete 10-20 minute flights as an alternative to 60-90 minute car commutes, reports EPlane AI.
Regulatory Hurdles Ahead
For all the excitement, significant challenges remain before flying taxis become a common sight in American skies. Both companies must navigate a complex Federal Aviation Administration certification process before they can carry paying passengers in the United States. Joby announced it expects to begin Type Inspection Authorization flight testing in the next 12 months, as reported by Joby Aviation.
The companies’ decision to pursue certification first in the United Arab Emirates—where Joby has been working with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority and UAE regulators—represents a strategic shift. Industry analysts note this approach suggests the FAA approval process may take longer than initially anticipated, according to The Aeronautical Society.
Record-Breaking Milestones
Both companies have been racking up impressive flight test achievements in the lead-up to the Salinas demonstration. Archer’s Midnight recently completed its longest piloted flight to date—approximately 55 miles in 31 minutes—and has achieved flights reaching altitudes of 7,000 and 10,000 feet, according to Business Wire.
Joby’s test fleet, comprising six aircraft, has accumulated more than 40,000 flight hours, as reported by Flying Magazine. In August, the company completed its first flight between two U.S. airports—Marina and Monterey—demonstrating operations in FAA-controlled airspace alongside conventional aircraft, according to Joby Aviation.
Local Impact and Community Engagement
For Salinas and the broader Monterey County region, the airshow demonstrations represented more than just a technological showcase. Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt, who grew up in the Santa Cruz mountains, told attendees that “this community is where my love of flight first took root,” according to Joby Aviation. The company has engaged with over 6,500 local students across 18 events in 2024, including STEM fairs and school partnerships.
Harry Wardwell, Executive Director of the California International Airshow, emphasized the significance of the eVTOL demonstrations. “One of the biggest things this year that’s never happened at the Salinas Airshow is we’re going to have a demonstration by local Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation demonstrating their new electric aircraft,” he told KSBW.
The California International Airshow, now in its 44th year, expected to draw more than 65,000 attendees over the weekend, according to Business Wire. The all-volunteer nonprofit organization has donated nearly $9 million to local charities since 1981.
As the aviation industry watches these pioneering companies push toward commercial operations, the Salinas demonstrations offered a tangible preview of what urban air mobility might look like. Whether that future arrives in 2026, 2028, or beyond, one thing became clear this weekend: the age of electric air taxis has moved from science fiction to flight-tested reality.
