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78-518: Joby Aviation was founded on September 11, 2009 (called Joby Aero) as one of several projects incubated by JoeBen Bevirt on his ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains , using the proceeds from successful exits of previous companies. According to the company's website, the early years were spent exploring different components of electric aviation, including electric motors, flight software, and lithium-ion batteries. This research led Joby to participate in

156-521: A request for proposal (RFP) seeking a heliport operator which would be encouraged to incentivize the use of eVTOLs after FAA certification of this type of aircraft and develop a plan to install the infrastructure needed to accommodate eVTOLs. The RFP also included a requirement to support the development of a marine micro-distribution facility at the site, which would receive waterborne freight deliveries and facilitate last-mile deliveries by greener forms of transportation, such as cargo bikes . Much of

234-406: A 24-hour period are ~20–30 °F apart on average but can be as much as 50 °F apart during heat waves depending on location. There is also considerable variation in temperature from day to day in both summer and winter with shifting wind directions, and fluctuations in the degree or marine influence. Average winter highs range from the low 60s °F (~16–18 °C) in the coastal valleys to

312-495: A 550-by-85-foot (168 by 26 m) concrete pier and a 300-by-90-foot (91 by 27 m) barge, the Alice G. Neumann , which is anchored perpendicularly to the north side of the pier. The helipad is located at the far end of the pier, which also contains a parking lot for autos and a 6,300-square-foot (590 m ), two-story soundproof concrete terminal building that includes a waiting room and pilot's lounge, with administrative offices and

390-503: A Mediterranean type climate typical of most of California, with the majority of the annual precipitation falling between November and April. According to the National Weather Service , this totals more than 50 inches (127 cm) annually. Heavy summer fogs frequently cover the western ocean-facing slopes and valleys, resulting in drizzle and fog drip caused by condensation on the redwoods, pines, and other trees, which sustains

468-483: A Series C round of funding, totaling $ 590 million, led by Toyota Motor Corporation and a manufacturing partnership with Toyota. In December 2020, Joby Aviation acquired Elevate, Uber 's air taxi division, and also received a $ 75 million investment from Uber, bringing Joby Aviation's total funds raised to $ 820 million. In January 2021, it was reported that Joby Aviation was exploring a special-purpose acquisition company (also known as "blank check corporation") to become

546-410: A car taking riders to a heliport and a helicopter then taking riders to the airport. While the service used Bell 430 helicopters with Uber branding, the aircraft were operated by a separate helicopter company, Heliflite. Joby Aviation cited Elevate's software tools enabling market selection, demand simulation and multi-modal operations as the reasons to purchase Elevate, suggesting the acquisition may play

624-555: A collaborative effort between the two companies. The event, which took place over a prominent Japanese urban landscape, showcased the potential for air taxis to become a viable solution for urban transportation in densely populated areas. Toyota's involvement underscores its commitment to advancing mobility technologies beyond conventional automotive applications, with a particular focus on sustainable, electric-powered solutions. Santa Cruz Mountains The Santa Cruz Mountains ( Mutsun Ohlone : Mak-sah-re-jah, "Sharp Ridged Mountain of

702-635: A complete ban on all tourist flights. Traffic at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport increased to 58,021 total flights in 2014; the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) estimated that over 56,000 of these were sightseeing trips. In February 2016, an agreement between the city and helicopter tour operators was reached to cut the number of sightseeing flights in half by January 1, 2017 (compared to 2015 baseline levels), restrict sightseeing flights to

780-428: A flight observation deck located on the second floor. A total of 13 helicopter parking spaces are currently provided at the heliport, 10 of which are located on the barge and 3 of which are located on the pier. While the helipad at the end of the pier serves as the designated Touch-down and Lift-off (TLOF) area, the 13 spaces on the barge and pier are also used as hybrid takeoff/landing and parking spots. The spots on

858-731: A gap at Lexington Reservoir ; south of the gap, the mountain range is known as the Sierra Azul . The highest point in the range is Loma Prieta , 11 miles (18 km) west of Morgan Hill , with a height of 3,786 feet (1,154 m), near the epicenter of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake . Other major peaks include Mount Umunhum at 3,486 feet (1,063 m), Mount Thayer at 3,479 feet (1,060 m), Mount Bielawski at 3,231 feet (985 m), El Sombroso at 2,999 feet (914 m), Eagle Rock at 2,488 feet (758 m), Black Mountain at 2,812 feet (857 m), and Sierra Morena at 2,417 feet (737 m). The San Andreas Fault runs along or near

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936-490: A general cargo terminal and was reconstructed from 1983 to 1987. The Port Authority operated the facility until 2008, after which operation of the city-owned heliport was taken over by Saker Aviation. It was the first heliport in the United States to receive Federal Aviation Administration certification for scheduled passenger helicopter service, the first public heliport with a semi-automatic fire protection foam system, and

1014-451: A graphite anode. On August 11, the company went public using a special-purpose acquisition company . In January 2022, the company registered what it claimed was the fastest eVTOL flight to date, traveling at a true airspeed of 205 mph (330 km/h). On February 16, 2022, a remotely piloted prototype crashed during a test flight in rural California, sustaining substantial damage. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that

1092-455: A maximum of 300 a day on Saturdays, and eliminate all sightseeing flights on Sundays. As a result of the agreement, the Downtown Manhattan Heliport is now capped at accommodating a maximum of 29,651 tourist flights per year. To protect Lower Manhattan from future flooding associated with coastal storms and projected sea level rise , NYCEDC and the Mayor's Office of Climate Resiliency commissioned

1170-399: A maximum payload of 1,000 pounds. It is designed to take off and land vertically like a helicopter, and transition to horizontal cruise like a fixed-wing aircraft. Nearly silent in flight, the electric-powered aircraft is designed to operate with no emissions and to be 100 times quieter during takeoff and landing than a helicopter . Joby plans to mass-produce its eVTOL , with a plan to operate

1248-412: A more drought-resistant chaparral vegetation dominates: manzanita , California scrub oak , chamise , and chaparral pea . The rare sandhills habitat supports disjunct populations of Ponderosa pine and several endemic species of plants, including Santa Cruz cypress , silverleaf manzanita , and Santa Cruz wallflower . Spring wildflowers are also widespread throughout the range. The area welcomes

1326-490: A new fixed-base operator for the heliport, the city performed noise studies to determine how much new traffic the facility could handle, accommodating flights diverted from the West 30th Street Heliport. The new operator was also required to implement a refueling system available for helicopters using the facility; previously the heliport did not have any fuel services. City officials selected FirstFlight to take over operations at

1404-676: A partnership with Garmin to provide flight deck equipment and announced that it had obtained a 'G-1' certification basis for its aircraft with the FAA. In May, 2021, a NOVA episode featured Joby. The City of Marina and FAA approved the company's plan for a production facility in June 2021. In August 2021, the company announced a 155-mile flight on a single charge in 77 minutes, comparative noise tests against other aircraft and its application for air Part 135 and Part 23 carrier certifications. The battery used an 811 NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide) cathode and

1482-525: A piloted on-demand air-taxi service. The aircraft will be operated as a service with per-trip passenger pricing. Joby described the Uber Elevate acquisition as a way to accelerate its commercial launch through Elevate's tools and personnel. Elevate had previously operated a service called Uber Copter, which allowed all Uber users in the New York area to book a trip to John F. Kennedy International Airport , with

1560-669: A problem with seagulls dropping clams onto the heliport to break open the shells and feared that the birds could get caught in helicopter rotors and bring aircraft down or the contents of the clam shells on surfaces could cause helicopters' landing gear to skid or passengers to slip and fall. To address the issue, the PA employed a technique that had been successfully used by the United States Coast Guard at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, using stencils to paint patterns of flying seagulls on

1638-486: A production prototype in 2019. In 2018, the company announced a Series B funding round of $ 100 million, led by Toyota AI Ventures. By 2019, the company was in active conversations with the FAA about certifying the aircraft and announced a partnership with Uber 's Elevate division. For its first ten years, Joby operated in stealth mode , sometimes leading to skepticism of the company's claims. The first journalist granted access to

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1716-681: A public company. In February 2021, the company entered into a business combination agreement with Reinvent Technology Partners, a SPAC funded by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Zynga founder Mark Pincus . Shares in the SPAC, incorporated October 2020 in the Cayman Islands in 2020, were traded on the New York Stock Exchange as the symbol RTP. Upon the closing of the transaction, the combined company will be named Joby Aviation, and become publicly traded, with its common stock to be listed on

1794-448: A replacement heliport to be built at a higher elevation near its existing site with access the pier for emergency and service vehicles provided via a flood gate . In November 2023, the Downtown Manhattan Heliport was the site of the first piloted demonstration flights of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft from an urban heliport, which were operated by Joby Aviation and Volocopter . That same month, NYCEDC issued

1872-558: A security plan was approved. US Helicopter service resumed in March 2009 after city officials helped to negotiate an agreement between FirstFlight and US Helicopter. FirstFlight subsequently changed its name to Saker Aviation. When sightseeing flights were banned from the West 30th Street Heliport on April 1, 2010, the Downtown Manhattan Heliport was left as the only heliport in New York City that could accommodate sightseeing flights. In 2010,

1950-580: A significant role in Joby's commercial service. Joby has not commented on whether it will continue Elevate's plans to launch in Los Angeles , Dallas , and Melbourne . In Nov 2024, Toyota and Joby Aviation successfully completed a historic air taxi test flight in Japan, marking a significant milestone in urban air mobility. This test flight involved an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developed through

2028-420: A tremendous number of species of birds . (see: bird list ). Black-tailed deer, a subspecies of mule deer are common, as are western gray squirrels , chipmunks and raccoons . Periodic sightings of black bears indicate they frequent the mountains or wander north from Big Sur , where black bears are established . Foxes , coyotes , bobcats , cougars and human-introduced Virginia opossums also inhabit

2106-697: Is protected by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District , the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), the Sempervirens Fund and local county parks districts. Hiking, horse-riding, mountain biking, rock climbing, and backpacking are popular activities. There are two long-distance trails in the range: the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail , which winds 38 miles (61 km) from Castle Rock State Park through Big Basin to

2184-596: The NASA X-57 Maxwell and LEAPTech projects, before developing its own air taxi concept. Joby's early concept, publicly called the S2, had eight tilting propellers arrayed along the leading edge of its wing and four more tilting propellers mounted on its V-shaped tail. Later, the company moved to a configuration that features six rotating propellers. By 2015, the company was operating subscale prototypes of its eVTOL aircraft, moving to full-scale unmanned prototypes in 2017, and

2262-629: The Salinas Valley . The range passes through the counties of San Mateo , Santa Clara , and Santa Cruz , with the Pajaro River forming the southern boundary. The northernmost portion of the Santa Cruz Mountains, north of Half Moon Bay Road ( SR 92 ), is known as Montara Mountain ; the middle portion is the Sierra Morena, which includes a summit called Sierra Morena, and extends south to

2340-552: The West 30th Street Heliport in 1956 (one of the locations identified in the master plan) and New York Airways began operating helicopter shuttle service between that heliport and area airports, but passenger demand was much lower than projected and thought to be a result of competition by other forms of ground transportation. It was believed that a helicopter landing pad in Lower Manhattan would attract more passenger demand, which led to

2418-640: The 2016 Loma Fire , the 2009 Lockheed Fire and the Summit Fire in 2008. The Santa Cruz Mountains are home to an abundance of parks and protected open spaces, notable among them is California's oldest state park: Big Basin Redwoods State Park . Other state parks include Castle Rock State Park , Portola Redwoods State Park , Butano State Park , The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park , McNee Ranch State Park and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park with its famous Redwood Grove walking trail. Additional land

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2496-405: The Downtown Manhattan Heliport and the company began operating the facility on November 1, 2008. The change in the heliport's operator resulted in a five-month suspension of US Helicopter's scheduled flights from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport to EWR and JFK because FirstFlight did obtain approval from TSA for a passenger security screening plan and then demanded higher rent from US Helicopter after

2574-894: The Eagle" or "People of the Eagle Mountain") are a mountain range in central and Northern California , United States , constituting a part of the Pacific Coast Ranges . They form a ridge down the San Francisco Peninsula , south of San Francisco . They separate the Pacific Ocean from the San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley , and continue south to the Central Coast , bordering Monterey Bay and ending at

2652-482: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched its National Prototype Heliport Demonstration and Development Program , a project to illustrate the usefulness and viability of developing full-service heliports in the United States for eventual all-weather operations. The Wall Street Heliport, which was renamed the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, was one of four heliports selected by the FAA to be part of

2730-551: The New York Stock Exchange as the symbol JOBY. In October 2022, Delta Air Lines announced a $ 60 million investment in Joby Aviation to offer “home-to-airport” flights, at first from New York City and Los Angeles. The Joby air taxi is intended to be a four-passenger commercial aircraft with a pilot, capable of traveling up to 150 miles (240 km) on a single charge at a top speed of 200 mph (320 km/h), with

2808-520: The PA to study the feasibility of a new heliport. The Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association also recommended the establishment of a heliport as part of the redevelopment of old piers on the East River and the New York City Marine and Aviation Department allocated space along the waterfront to the development of a heliport by the PA. Plans for the new heliport and a 37-year lease of the site to

2886-480: The PA were approved by the New York City Board of Estimate on May 27, 1960. Built by the PA at a cost of $ 230,000, the original facility included a 80-by-85-foot (24 by 26 m) helicopter landing pad, a 300-by-85-foot (91 by 26 m) parking and loading area for helicopters, a one-story terminal building, and parking lot for autos. The Downtown Manhattan Heliport opened on December 8, 1960. The same day

2964-520: The Pacific Ocean, and the Bay Area Ridge Trail , which, while still disjointed, here roughly parallels Skyline Boulevard along the spine of the range. There also exist several backcountry campsites in many of the state parks that enable long distance multi-day outings. Castle Rock State Park has open rock faces suitable for rock climbing and bouldering. The previous historic Old Almaden Winery

3042-577: The Santa Cruz Mountains-Gabilan Range Wildlife Corridor with the 2,640 acres (4.13 sq mi) Rocks Ranch in Aromas at the border of San Benito and Monterey counties. Both critical wildlife linkages will require installation of wildlife crossings to enable passage across U.S. Highway 101. The land trust monitored the new wildlife crossing in 2023 for activity at Laurel Curve on Route 17. The Santa Cruz Mountains have

3120-594: The UAE. This move marks Joby’s expansion into international markets for urban air mobility services. On June 24, 2024, Joby Aviation's S4 eVTOL demonstrator, converted to hydrogen-electric power in May, completed a record 523 miles non-stop flight, more than triple the range of the battery powered version. It landed with 10% fuel remaining in its cyrogenic fuel tank that had a capacity of 88 lb of liquid hydrogen at 22 Kelvin. The H2Fly-developed ‘H2F-175’ hydrogen fuel cell system provided

3198-525: The aircraft in Marina, California at the Marina Municipal Airport . The plans include an initial 55,000 square foot production facility, followed by a 500,000 square foot factory. Late in 2020, Joby Aviation acquired Uber Elevate, and the U.S. Air Force announced it had granted Joby its first eVTOL airworthiness certification as part of its Agility Prime program. In February 2021, the company announced

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3276-536: The aircraft in 2018 agreed not to disclose details about the aircraft. In 2020, however, the company began releasing significantly more information, starting with its January announcement of a $ 590 million funding round, led by Toyota Motor Corporation. At that announcement, the company revealed its production vehicle. In January 2020, Bevirt was a keynote speaker at the meeting of the Vertical Flight Society . In January 2020, Joby announced plans to manufacture

3354-661: The area in the Santa Cruz mountains is temperate rainforest . In valleys and moist ocean-facing slopes some of the southernmost coast redwoods grow, along with coast Douglas-fir . Coast live oak , Pacific madrone , Pacific wax myrtle , big leaf maple , California bay laurel , and California black oak also occur in the Santa Cruz Mountains. There do exist several small and isolated stands of old-growth forest , most notably at Henry Cowell Redwoods and Portola Redwoods State Parks and one sizeable old-growth redwood forest at Big Basin . At higher elevations and on sunny south slopes

3432-543: The company rolled out the first production version of the aircraft and announced it had received FAA approval to flight test that version, sending its stock price as high as 42% above its previous close in midday trading. The company said the U.S. Air Force will receive early production units in 2024 as part of a $ 131 million contract, which would be the first ever eVTOL to be delivered to a paying customer. Joby expects full certification and entry into service in 2025. Joby flew its aircraft in New York on November 12, 2023, marking

3510-557: The crash and subsequent fire were caused by an in-flight component failure. In April 2022, Joby acquired hydrogen-aviation pioneer H2Fly, a spinoff of the DLR Institute of Engineering Thermodynamics of the German Aerospace Center . In May 2022, Joby received Part 135 air service certification from the FAA, operating a fleet of Cirrus SR22s while it continues seeking certification for its eVTOL aircraft. On June 28, 2023,

3588-586: The downtown heliport handled at total of 43,386 flights, of which 41,540 were sightseeing-related. Sightseeing flights that had been operating from the West 30th Street Heliport shifted to the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, which prompted complaints about the noise and pollution generated by tourist flights from residents in Manhattan and Brooklyn, visitors to the Brooklyn Bridge Park , and students attending school on Governors Island , with some groups calling for

3666-619: The first eVTOL flight in the city and the first time Joby has flown in an urban setting. A demonstration flight was performed at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport as part of an announcement by the city of its intention to electrify the facility. In September 2023, Joby Aerospace delivered its first eVTOL air taxi to Edwards Air Force Base in California. The autonomy division of Xwing was acquired by Joby Aviation in June 2024. On Feb, 2024, Joby Aviation announced that it has begun

3744-464: The first heliport to use a barge for aircraft parking. It is currently the only heliport in New York City that accommodates sightseeing flights. In the mid-1950s, the Port of New York Authority (PA) prepared a transportation master plan that proposed the development of six new heliports in the metropolitan area, including one at the southern tip of Manhattan near The Battery or Wall Street . The PA opened

3822-580: The heliport in 1997 after the company had been evicted from the city-owned East 34th Street Heliport over unpaid rent. This move was estimated to add about 50 daily takeoffs and landings on weekdays to the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. The PA was unable to restrict National Helicopter Corp. from using the facility since federal funds had been used to build the heliport and for this same reason sightseeing flights could not be banned until 2008. In March 2006, US Helicopter resumed scheduled passenger service to airports with hourly flights to JFK. Service to EWR

3900-500: The heliport's traffic is generated by Wall Street and the lower Manhattan financial district; top business executives and time-sensitive document deliveries often use the heliport. The heliport is the normal landing spot for the President of the United States on visits to New York. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg frequently used the heliport to fly between Bloomberg L.P. headquarters and Johns Hopkins University when he

3978-412: The higher elevations are deprived of marine influence and will often be subject to intense heat waves with daytime temperatures in the 95–105 °F (~35–40 °C) range and extreme low humidity with elevated overnight lows that offer little relief from the heat. Such conditions can lead to fires that can occur even before the official State of California fire season starts. Examples of such fires include

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4056-760: The historic Judgment of Paris wine competition on May 24, 1976. The Santa Cruz Mountains are largely the result of compressive uplift caused by a leftward bend of the San Andreas Fault . The Salinian Block basement rocks are overlain by Miocene rock strata of the Lompico Sandstone , the Vaqueros Sandstone and the Santa Margarita Formation . The Santa Cruz Mountains are a region of great biological diversity, encompassing cool, moist coastal ecosystems as well as warm, dry chaparral . Much of

4134-402: The lack of cold air drainage. Summer temperatures regularly reach highs in the 80s °F (~28–30 °C) with nighttime usually in the upper 40s to lower 60s °F (~9–18 °C) depending on elevation, distance from the ocean and degree of marine inversion present. Summer weather is dominated by a persistent marine layer that can vary in depth. When the inversion layer drops below 300–500 feet,

4212-686: The landing pad's configuration reduced the loads that could be carried by helicopters and they could not carry enough passengers to break even. When the airline resumed operations in Lower Manhattan in April 1978, it did so at a temporary heliport built on landfill in Battery Park City . In April 1971, Island Helicopters, Inc. began providing scheduled commuter service between the Wall Street Heliport and Roosevelt Field Industrial Park on Long Island. The flights operated for three years until service

4290-1210: The moisture-loving redwood forests. Due to a rain shadow effect, precipitation on the eastern side of the range is significantly less, about 25 inches (64 cm) a year. Snow falls a few times a year on the highest ridges, and more rarely the higher valleys receive light dustings. The National Weather Service 's cooperative weather stations in the mountains have included Black Mountain 2WSW – average annual rainfall 36.65 inches (931 mm), maximum annual rainfall 80.66 inches (2,049 mm), average annual snowfall 0.7-inch (18 mm), maximum annual snowfall 8.0 inches (200 mm); Los Gatos 5SW – average annual rainfall 26.45 inches (672 mm), maximum annual rainfall 103.23 inches (2,622 mm), average snowfall 2.7 inches (69 mm), maximum annual snowfall 9.0 inches (230 mm); and Wrights – average annual rainfall 46.09 inches (1,171 mm), maximum annual rainfall 87.65 inches (2,226 mm), average annual snowfall 1.2-inch (30 mm), maximum annual snowfall 10.6 inches (270 mm). No temperature records were kept at these stations. The Santa Cruz Mountains are subject to sharp diurnal temperature fluctuations . The highs and low within

4368-454: The mountains from Daly City to Castroville while SR 85 runs parallel from Cupertino to San Jose . There are over 30 wineries located in this region and the Santa Cruz Mountains have been a legally defined American Viticultural Area (AVA) since 1981. Wine has been produced here since at least the 1840s. The Santa Cruz Mountain AVA emerged as a premier producer of top wines as recognized in

4446-545: The need for the preparation of a lengthy environmental assessment . As part of the project, tests were made using a Microwave Landing System (MLS) at the Battery Park City Heliport and at a pier near Wall Street. Plans to install a permanent MLS were abandoned when the site in Red Hook, Brooklyn on which the transmitter was to be located was put up for sale by the PA. A semi-automatic fire protection foam system

4524-536: The new heliport opened, New York Airways began operating flights to LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Newark Airport (EWR) and New York International Airport (JFK). Scheduled service to the airports was temporarily suspended in December 1969 due to the high costs of operating Boeing Vertol 107s and resumed in May 1971 with the introduction of Sikorsky S-61s to the airline's fleet; service to Morristown Airport in New Jersey

4602-605: The power for the six electric rotors of the eVTOL during its flight; a small battery, charged by the fuel cell, provided added takeoff and landing power. The only in-flight emission was water vapor. The company was originally self-financed by Bevirt, after the sale of his previous companies, Velocity11 and GorillaPod. On February 1, 2018, Joby Aviation announced it raised $ 100 million in a Series B round of funding, including from Intel Capital , Toyota AI Ventures, Jet Blue Technology Ventures , and Tesla/SpaceX-backer Capricorn Investment Group . On January 15, 2020, Joby Aviation announced

4680-543: The preparation of a master plan for climate resilience in the Financial District and Seaport areas. The plan was released in 2021 and included strategies to rebuild the East River waterfront from The Battery to the Brooklyn Bridge such as the addition of a floodwall . The master plan projected that the existing deck of the Downtown Manhattan Heliport would be flooded on a monthly basis by the 2050s and proposed for

4758-734: The process of becoming a certified air taxi operator in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The announcement was made during the International Civil Aviation Organization’s first Advanced Air Mobility Summit in Montreal, Canada. Founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt met with His Excellency Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, to present Joby’s Letter of Intent to start its Air Operator Certificate application in

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4836-443: The program. The old pier was demolished and replaced by a new concrete structure. Although the PA's lease with the city covered an area of approximately 8 acres (3.2 ha) and allowed for significant expansion of the heliport's operational area, the replacement pier was built to the same dimensions as the old pier and a barge was added to provide parking for helicopters (considered to be an anchored floating structure), which avoided

4914-620: The ranch. Downtown Manhattan Heliport The Downtown Manhattan Heliport ( IATA : JRB , ICAO : KJRB , FAA LID : JRB ) (Downtown Manhattan/Wall St. Heliport) is a helicopter landing platform at Pier 6, on the East River , in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City . The heliport was built by the Port of New York Authority in 1960 on a pier formerly used as

4992-413: The reconstruction project was $ 13 million, of which $ 6 million was paid for by the federal government as part of the FAA's National Prototype Heliport Demonstration and Development Program and $ 3 million was spent by the PA to ensure that the new heliport would be completed in time before the lease of the temporary heliport at Battery Park City ran out. After the new facility opened, the PA experienced

5070-524: The region but are rarely seen. Rattlesnakes are also inhabitants, mostly in the high, dry chaparral. There are two potential critical wildlife linkages which could enable species such as puma ( Puma concolor ) and tule elk ( Cervus canadensis nannodes ) to move from and to the Santa Cruz Mountains by connecting to their counterparts in the Diablo Range to the east, as well as in the Gabilan Range to

5148-828: The ridge line throughout the range. The interior east side of the mountains drops abruptly towards this fault line, especially near the towns of Woodside and Saratoga . For much of the San Francisco Peninsula, State Route 35 (SR 35) runs along the ridge, and is known as " Skyline Boulevard ", while Interstate 280 runs east of the ridges. The major routes across the mountains are (from north to south): SR 92 from Half Moon Bay to San Mateo , SR 84 from San Gregorio to Redwood City , SR 9 from Santa Cruz to Saratoga , SR 17 from Santa Cruz to Los Gatos , SR 152 from Watsonville to Gilroy , SR 129 from Watsonville to San Juan Bautista , and US Highway 101 from Salinas to Gilroy. Meanwhile, SR 1 runs parallel to

5226-796: The south. The first is Coyote Valley , which at its northern end, is only 0.4 miles (0.64 km) wide, a narrow gap between the Diablo Range and the Santa Cruz Mountains' Tulare Hill foothill in south San Jose, California . The second critical wildlife passage lies between the southern Santa Cruz Mountains and the northern Gabilan Range, and runs from lands between Mount Pajaro and Rancho Juristac , in southern Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties respectively, south across California State Route 129 and U.S. Highway 101 to lands between Pinecate Peak and San Juan Bautista in San Benito County. The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County has protected

5304-483: The surface to keep the birds away. From December 1989 to March 1990, Trump Air provided scheduled service to LGA using Sikorsky S-61s to provide connections for passengers on Trump Shuttle flights. In 1990, the Downtown Manhattan Heliport became the first heliport in the United States to receive FAA certification under Federal Aviation Regulations Part 139 for scheduled passenger helicopter service. National Helicopter Corp. started operating sightseeing flights at

5382-495: The upper 50's °F (~14–15 °C) in the valleys further inland. Average Winter overnight lows are a function of topography and can vary significantly, from an average low of 37 °F (~3 °C) in the valleys to ~42–44 °F (~6–7 °C) in the thermal belts above the inversion layer where cold air can readily drain off the slopes. Thermal inversions occur primarily during the Winter when cool air sinks and gets trapped in

5460-536: The valleys at night, often leading to frost and occasional freezes. Higher elevations above the inversion layer usually stay mild with frost being a rare occurrence. The USDA has recently re-classified the hardiness zones for the higher elevations as USDA 10a to 10b to reflect the lack of frost at those locations. However, while the higher elevations are less prone to frost, they are also more likely to experience occasional snow accumulations. The valleys in contrast are rated USDA 9b with some locations as cold as 9a due to

5538-425: Was added in December 2006. With the addition of a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint, passengers checked baggage and underwent security screening at the heliport and disembarked at the airside zone of the terminals of partner airlines, bypassing the need to check luggage or go through security at the airport if their flight was departing from the same terminal. The Downtown Manhattan Heliport

5616-586: Was also added at this time. New York Airways' helicopter service at the Wall Street Heliport was suspended in February 1977 with the reopening of the heliport on the roof of the Pan Am Building . The airline stopped operating in Manhattan after an accident atop the Pan Am Building in May 1977 resulted in five deaths. The airline did not return to the Wall Street Heliport because the vertical takeoffs required by

5694-770: Was chairman of both institutions. The Downtown Manhattan Heliport is a public heliport operated by NYCEDC with charter service to Newark Liberty International Airport , Teterboro Airport , Morristown Municipal Airport , and other New York–area airports. Public sightseeing and VIP flights are also common. In the year ending December 30, 2003, the airport had 10,002 aircraft operations, an average of 27 per day: 90% general aviation and 10% military. The heliport covers 2 acres (0.81 ha) at an elevation of 7 feet (2.1 m). It has one helipad , H1, 62 ft × 62 ft (19 m × 19 m) concrete that can accommodate aircraft weighing up to 50,000 pounds (22,680 kg). The heliport's facilities are located on

5772-554: Was diverted from the Wall Street Heliport to the West 30th Street Heliport due to safety concerns by the Secret Service . The Wall Street Heliport was eventually closed due to structural issues on September 16, 1983 and flights were diverted to a temporary heliport that had been used by the PA on landfill in Battery Park City. The cost of reconstructing the heliport was estimated to be nearly $ 7 million. Coincidentally, in 1983

5850-505: Was installed that provided full coverage of the pier and could be remotely operated from the terminal; it was the first public heliport to include such a system. The PA entered into a new 20-year lease with the city for the heliport site on March 1, 1986. The diversion of flights to the Battery Park City Heliport concluded in September 1987 and the reconstructed Downtown Manhattan Heliport was dedicated on October 27, 1987. The overall cost of

5928-745: Was located on the eastern slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was the first commercial winery in California, planting high quality European (French) varietal vines. Film director Alfred Hitchcock and his wife Alma had their primary residence, the Cornwall Ranch, near Scotts Valley , purchased in September 1940. In 1965, science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein constructed a home in Bonny Doon , and lived there until shortly before his death in 1988. From 1970 to 2014, singer-songwriter Neil Young lived at Broken Arrow Ranch near Woodside with his family. Many of his songs from this time were recorded at

6006-460: Was suspended in April 1974. The original heliport was constructed on a wooden pier originally built in 1888 as a general cargo terminal, and by the late 1970s and early 1980s deterioration of the piles supporting the structure led to segments of the pier being forced out and portions of the helicopter parking area to be closed off. A visit by United States president Jimmy Carter in November 1978

6084-497: Was the first heliport in the United States to be "federalized" by the TSA. The flights operated until September 2009 when US Helicopter ceased all service due to financial difficulties. The PA's lease on the heliport site expired in August 2007 and was not renewed. The agency continued to operate the facility while the city sought out a new operator for the facility. Prior to the selection of

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