A Magnificent Woman and Her Flying Machines
Image: Vertical Mag
Every once in a while, you meet someone who reaffirms your faith in humanity. Bonny Simi, President of Operations, at Joby Aviation is one of those people. I first met Bonny visiting Joby’s manufacturing and pilot test facility at an old airfield, adjacent to Monterey Bay, California. It instantly became clear to me that this is a woman with the fearless determination you need to get a whole new class of aircraft into our skies.
Joby’s electric VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft is a beautifully crafted hybrid of a helicopter and a fixed wing plane. The five-seater craft (1 pilot and 4 passengers) is powered by six propellers, whose angles can be adjusted to combine the benefits of taking off and landing from almost anywhere, with the efficiency and safety of a fixed wing craft. Being fully electric it is also quiet and pollution free during operation.
Our hour-long conversation took place in Joby’s head offices in the beach town of Santa Cruz – the birthplace of surfing in the US. However, though the team embodies a love of nature, neither Bonny, nor Joby, exhibit the kind of laid-back surfer vibe, synonymous with this part of the world. She, and they, are on a mission with a deadline: commercial operation in 2025. This is no mean feat for a new form of transport.
As she explained, Bonny’s interest in flying started as a child where she would accompany her mother to her work at a local airfield. One day, she said, I’d like to fly one of those. But young Bonny, who was a talented athlete, had a few other goals to tick off first: Olympic athlete and TV sports presenter. Thanks to some fabulously supportive advice from her Mum, “Ok honey, work out a plan for how you can get there” she achieved both goals, participating in three Winter Olympics in the luge. She also successfully campaigned to get the rules changed, so women could compete in bobsledding – the sport she’d originally wanted to do.
Next came a career as a commercial airline pilot for United Airlines – at a time when only 2% of commercial pilots were women (it’s still only 6%). Then a move to JetBlue, which saw her take on a new learning curve, as she was put in charge of their search for new companies to invest in. That led her to Joby, which seems a natural home for her abundant talents and drive.
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Bonny and learning more about Joby’s plans. In climate terms the impact of electrifying small craft of this kind may be modest (helicopters aren’t a huge segment today) but there is no doubt that transport habits are changing and the advances they are making as a company in battery and propulsion technologies, manufacturing, pilot training etc will help to open up the market for other innovations. As will working with the regulators to get a new rule book established.
For JoeBen, Joby’s founder, and for Bonny, accepting the world as it is, when it clearly isn’t right, isn’t an option. So, they are going to change the world.
To listen to the episode: visit Cleaningup.live, search for Cleaning Up on your podcast platform of choice, or watch the video by clicking here.