Joby Is Flying the Future. Will Marina Help Build It?

The future of flight is no longer waiting on the drawing board. It is being tested in real airspace across North Texas right now.

Joby Aviation has begun a series of electric vertical takeoff and landing demonstration flights in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation. The flights are part of the White House-backed Advanced Air Mobility Integration Pilot Program, known as eIPP.

These are not commercial passenger flights, and the aircraft are not yet carrying customers. They are demonstrations along proposed real-world routes designed to test the procedures, infrastructure and airspace integration that future passenger service would require.

The planned missions include:

• A joint flight demonstration at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport
• Operations involving the controlled airspace surrounding Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
• A low-noise demonstration over Arlington
• A proposed corporate route connecting Alliance Airport with Toyota’s campus in Plano

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Texas demonstrations are part of one of the nation’s largest real-world testing environments for eVTOL aircraft, air taxis and autonomous planes. Information collected through these projects will help the FAA develop regulations and procedures for safely integrating these aircraft into the national airspace system.

The demonstrations also build upon years of advanced-air-mobility research, including earlier work involving NASA. NASA contributes research and technical knowledge, while the FAA is responsible for regulating civil aviation and determining how these aircraft can operate safely.

That distinction matters because Joby is no longer simply trying to prove that an electric aircraft can take off, transition to forward flight and land vertically. The company is now helping test how these aircraft could interact with airports, air-traffic controllers and existing aviation operations.

The technology is real. The aircraft are flying. The regulatory work is underway.

What remains uncertain is how large, affordable and commercially sustainable the market will eventually become.

From Experimental Aircraft to a New Transportation Category

I have previously compared the potential of eVTOL aircraft to the rise of the SUV. That comparison captures how significant I believe this new transportation category could become, but it should not be taken to mean that families will soon purchase flying vehicles and park them in their driveways.

Joby is developing an aircraft for a professionally operated air-taxi network. Its service will depend on certified pilots, scheduled maintenance, charging infrastructure, vertiports, insurance, air-traffic coordination and strict aviation oversight.

The first commercial rides will almost certainly be expensive. Certification is difficult, manufacturing volumes remain low and the supporting infrastructure is still being developed.

But communities do not need to predict the exact price of a future ride before recognizing that a new aviation sector is being built around them.

North Texas Is Preparing, Not Just Watching

North Texas is positioning itself to participate in this emerging industry.

Joby announced that its new 45,000-square-foot facility at Perot Field within the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone will serve as its North Texas home base. The region is combining airports, corporate partners, state transportation leadership, infrastructure and development space around an advanced-aviation strategy.

North Texas also possesses advantages that Marina cannot duplicate at the same scale. It has a much larger population, several major airports, extensive aerospace and defense activity, significant corporate travel and enormous demand for alternatives to highway congestion.

But Marina does not need to become another Dallas-Fort Worth to benefit from advanced aviation. Our opportunity may be different.

Monterey County could become part of the industrial, testing, research and workforce foundation supporting the larger passenger markets.

That may be a more realistic and economically valuable goal than trying to turn Marina into a major urban air-taxi destination, although, Monterey is already a pretty big international travel destination.

We May Already Have the Beginning of an Advanced-Aviation Cluster

When I previously wrote Marina Should Be Talking About the Future of Flight and the Future of Our Economy, I was not proposing that Marina chase a distant science-fiction possibility.

Much of the foundation is already beginning to take shape here.

Joby designs, manufactures, assembles and tests aircraft in Marina. Its expanded Marina operation is expected to have the capacity to produce up to 24 aircraft annually. The location also supports flight testing, simulators, aircraft maintenance and the company’s initial FAA production-certification work.

Joby has said it intends to add hundreds of full-time positions as production grows. In March 2026, the company began flight testing its first FAA-conforming aircraft at its Marina facility, an important step toward evaluations involving Joby and FAA pilots.

Just a few miles away, Archer Aviation conducts flight testing from Salinas Municipal Airport. In July 2026, Archer completed a piloted round trip between Salinas and Monterey Regional Airport, with each leg taking approximately nine minutes.

Joby completed a piloted flight from Marina to Monterey in August 2025.

That gives us Joby manufacturing and testing in Marina, Archer testing in Salinas and an established commercial airport in Monterey that has participated in flights involving both companies.

Watsonville and Hollister provide additional airport capacity. The Naval Postgraduate School brings research and autonomous-systems expertise. Monterey Peninsula College, Hartnell College, CSUMB, UC Santa Cruz and regional workforce organizations can help create education and career pathways.

The California Advanced Air Mobility Corridors Initiative is supported by a $7.45 million California Jobs First grant. It is intended to connect the public airports in Marina, Salinas, Watsonville and Hollister through an FAA-compliant multi-airport flight-corridor network.

We are not starting from zero.

We have credible ingredients for a regional advanced-aviation cluster focused on aircraft development, testing, certification support, maintenance, workforce training and specialized manufacturing.

That opportunity is real. Its eventual scale is not yet guaranteed.

Marina’s Strongest Opportunity May Be Behind the Flights

When people hear “air taxi,” they naturally focus on passengers flying over traffic. But the communities that benefit most from a new transportation industry are not always the places where passengers eventually purchase the most rides.

Aircraft must be designed, built, tested, certified, maintained and improved.

Marina may be particularly well positioned to participate in that side of the industry.

Our opportunity could include:

• Aircraft and component manufacturing
• Flight testing and certification support
• Aircraft maintenance and inspection
• Composite-material fabrication and repair
• Battery testing and energy-storage systems
• Robotics and automated manufacturing
• Flight simulation and pilot training
• Autonomous-aircraft research
• Software, data and cybersecurity services
• Specialized construction, electrical and facilities work

This would be a more durable strategy than depending upon Marina becoming a high-volume passenger market.

It would also allow the region to benefit from advanced aviation even if the rollout of commercial air-taxi service takes longer than the industry currently hopes.

Marina Municipal Airport Is an Economic Asset

Marina Municipal Airport should not be viewed simply as a place where Joby leases space or as open land waiting for an unrelated development proposal.

The airport is a specialized economic asset with approximately 845 acres, an aviation history tied to the former Fort Ord and room for compatible development around an emerging industry.

That does not mean every aviation proposal should automatically be approved. It does not mean environmental review, public safety, neighborhood concerns or responsible land-use planning should be pushed aside.

It means we should understand the long-term value of the airport before making decisions that could limit its future.

A serious airport economic-development strategy should examine:

• Reliable and expandable electrical capacity
• High-speed fiber-optic and data infrastructure
• Charging and energy-storage systems
• Hangars and flexible manufacturing space
• Road access for employees, contractors and suppliers
• Water and utility capacity
• Emergency-response requirements
• Cybersecurity and secure communications
• Workforce transportation
• Training partnerships with regional schools and colleges
• Land that can support compatible suppliers and aviation businesses

However, identifying desirable infrastructure is only the beginning. Marina should not commit substantial public money simply because an industry appears promising.

Before major investments are made, residents and decision-makers deserve answers to practical questions:

1. What infrastructure has Joby or another prospective employer actually requested?
2. Which improvements are already included in airport, utility or regional plans?
3. What electrical, water and data capacity currently exists?
4. How much would each improvement cost?
5. Who would pay for it?
6. What state, federal, utility or private funding may be available?
7. Would the investment support multiple employers or primarily benefit one company?
8. What restrictions arise from FAA requirements, airport land-use rules or environmental review?
9. What measurable employment, revenue and local-business opportunities could reasonably result?

Without those answers, “build the infrastructure” is an aspiration, not yet a plan.

Economic Benefits Should Be Measured Honestly

Joby’s growth could create jobs and additional demand for construction, equipment, maintenance, lodging, restaurants and professional services. But those benefits will not automatically remain in Marina.

A job located in Marina is not necessarily a job held by a Marina resident. A company operating at the airport may purchase equipment and specialized services from businesses outside the region. Employees may live and spend much of their income in neighboring communities.

That does not make the opportunity less valuable. It means Marina should measure the outcomes that matter.

A responsible economic-development plan should distinguish among:

• Total jobs located at the Marina facility
• Jobs held by Marina and Monterey County residents
• Internships and apprenticeships created for local students
• Contracts awarded to local businesses
• Airport lease and operating revenue
• Local spending generated by employees and visitors
• Public infrastructure costs
• New City revenue connected to the growth

That information would allow residents to evaluate the opportunity based on results rather than excitement alone.

Marina Also Needs a Stronger Digital Front Door

Marina Municipal Airport needs an effective digital presence that serves pilots, airport tenants, visiting aviators, prospective employers, residents and the surrounding business community.

A modern airport website could provide operational information, promote available services, explain development opportunities, introduce workforce programs and connect visitors with Marina’s hotels, restaurants and attractions.

It could also help residents understand what happens at the airport, what public and private investments are being considered and how airport growth connects with the rest of the community.

This may sound like a small piece of the larger strategy, but organizations and investors often encounter a community online before they ever visit it in person.

Marina’s airport should have a digital presence that reflects the importance of the work already happening there.

This Fits Marina’s Larger Economic Plan

Advanced aviation should not replace Marina’s tourism, restaurants, small businesses, cultural identity or outdoor recreation. It should become one part of a diversified local economy.

In Making Marina Strong: A Five-Point Community Plan for Economic Growth, I proposed bringing the City, Chamber of Commerce, Marina Foundation, service clubs, employers, educators, nonprofits and community leaders together around a shared economic mission.

Advanced aviation fits naturally within that approach.

• A Marina Economic Partnership could bring Joby, the airport, CSUMB, regional colleges, workforce organizations and local businesses to the same table.
• Workforce programs could prepare residents for careers in aircraft manufacturing, maintenance, electrical systems, robotics, quality inspection and aviation operations.
• Local companies could receive help understanding procurement requirements and preparing to compete for contracts.
• Schools could introduce students to aviation, robotics, engineering and advanced manufacturing.
• A coordinated visitor strategy could encourage engineers, regulators, investors and aviation professionals to stay, eat and shop in Marina.
• The City could publish goals and report measurable economic results to residents.

This is how a major employer, workforce development, local businesses and tourism can reinforce one another instead of existing in separate silos.

What Marina Can Realistically Do Next

Marina does not need to declare itself the future capital of electric aviation. It needs to do the less glamorous work of understanding and building upon the opportunity already here.

Practical next steps could include:

1. Commissioning an independent assessment of the airport’s infrastructure, development capacity and economic potential
2. Meeting with Joby and other aviation employers to identify anticipated infrastructure and workforce needs
3. Reviewing airport plans to protect land needed for compatible aviation development
4. Coordinating with Salinas, Monterey, Watsonville and Hollister rather than treating neighboring airports only as competitors
5. Expanding apprenticeship, technical-training and internship pathways for local residents
6. Helping local businesses prepare for aviation-related procurement opportunities
7. Identifying infrastructure projects that would serve multiple companies and industries
8. Publishing costs, funding sources, goals and measurable results for public review

These steps would not require Marina to gamble its future on one company or one technology.

They would give the City and its residents better information with which to make long-term decisions.

Will Marina Recognize the Opportunity?

Marina does not have the population or corporate market of Dallas, Los Angeles or Dubai. We should not pretend that we do.

What we have is different.

We have Joby manufacturing and testing aircraft at Marina Municipal Airport. We have Archer flying nearby. We have a regional network of airports, educational institutions, workforce organizations and research capabilities. We have land shaped by the history of Fort Ord, proximity to Silicon Valley and a tourism economy capable of serving visiting professionals and industry events.

Most importantly, we have residents who deserve a realistic pathway into the jobs and business opportunities this industry may create.

Success is not guaranteed. Certification timelines could change. Commercial passenger demand may develop slowly. Production could move toward regions offering lower costs or larger incentives. Public acceptance, infrastructure and economics still have to be proven.

Those uncertainties are reasons to proceed carefully, not reasons to ignore what is happening.

The most defensible vision is not that every Marina family will soon own a flying vehicle.

It is that Marina already hosts unusually important advanced-aviation activity, and we should determine what is required to retain it, connect local residents with it and attract complementary employers before other communities capture most of the industry’s growth.

North Texas is demonstrating what organized partnerships, infrastructure and regional ambition can accomplish.

Marina should pay attention, ask difficult questions and develop a strategy grounded in evidence.

The future of flight has arrived in Texas.

The technology behind that future has already been quietly taking shape right here at home.