Electric air taxi flies from St. Pete to Tampa International Airport in Florida test

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - An electric air taxi flew across Tampa Bay from downtown St. Petersburg to Tampa International Airport Friday morning, marking Florida's first flights under a new federal program testing how the aircraft could eventually become part of the nation's transportation system.

Tampa Bay flight test

What we know:

Joby Aviation is beginning a weeklong series of piloted flights across Florida with its electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, commonly called an eVTOL. Friday's flight took off from Albert Whitted Airport and landed at Tampa International Airport. 

Friday's flight kicked off a week of Joby test flights across Florida.

Regional flight expansion

What's next:

After Tampa Bay, the aircraft is expected to fly at Orlando International Airport and Kennedy Space Center. The flights will help map the first phase of what Florida is calling its planned "Aerial Highway Network," an envisioned system connecting cities by electric aircraft.

Florida is one of eight states selected for the federal eVTOL Integration Pilot Program announced by the U.S. Department of Transportation in March.

The state's project is expected to test potential uses including passenger transportation, cargo delivery, automation and medical response.

Joby's aircraft is designed to take off and land vertically, eliminating the need for a traditional runway, before transitioning to forward flight.

The aircraft uses electric propulsion and six tilting propellers. It is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers and fly at speeds of about 200 mph.

Joby also says the aircraft produces significantly less noise than a conventional helicopter.

The company ultimately envisions using the technology for short trips in and around major metropolitan areas.

"The whole foundation of what we are building with electric propulsion is designed to make flight, and daily flight, affordable for everyone," Joby founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt told FOX Business in April.

"Florida is helping safely integrate these new aircraft into the airspace system and prove that the next great era of American aviation is already here. Each flight provides crucial data and lessons learned that will help establish safety standards for everyday operations," FAA Administrator Bryan stated. 

Florida ready for takeoff

What they're saying:

After the test flight successfully landed at Tampa International Airport, Gov. Ron DeSantis quoted the movie "Back to the Future": "Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads."

The governor also added that right now, this is the closest thing we have to flying cars. 

"We're at the age of flying cars, right? What is special about this? You hear people say, 'Well, these are just, you know, electric versions of a helicopter.' Well, they're actually not. This is going to provide a new way for people and goods to move around the entire country, but more importantly, the state of Florida. It's going to bring regional air connectivity back to the state of Florida." Jared Perdue, Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation said.

Commercial service timeline

What we don't know:

How much a Tampa Bay trip would actually cost and when passengers could begin booking flights have not been announced.

Century of aviation history

The backstory:

Friday's route carries some significant Tampa Bay history.

On Jan. 1, 1914, aviation pioneer Tony Jannus carried former St. Petersburg Mayor Abe Pheil across Tampa Bay on what is recognized as the world's first scheduled commercial airline flight.

More than 112 years later, Joby is deliberately retracing that St. Petersburg-to-Tampa route with its electric aircraft.

Friday's flight does not mark the beginning of commercial air taxi service in Tampa Bay.

Joby says it is in the final stages of FAA type certification. The Florida flights are expected to provide federal and state officials with operational data involving airport integration, aircraft acoustics and procedures at vertiports, the specialized facilities designed for eVTOL aircraft.

Electric aviation network

Big picture view:

Florida has also begun preparing infrastructure for the technology. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation this year allowing the Florida Department of Transportation to fund vertiport infrastructure statewide.

FDOT is also developing SunTrax Air along Interstate 4 as a testing site for advanced air mobility.

Those developments could eventually help determine whether a trip like Friday's demonstration becomes something Tampa Bay passengers can routinely book.