Texas has launched a three-year initiative to study potential passenger use of electric aircraft. Dallas is about 33 miles southwest of Princeton.
Called Project Nexus, the Texas Department of Transportation program began its first phase Sept. 10 at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. BETA Technologies and Joby Aviation demonstrated aircraft there. Joby’s aircraft uses electric propulsion and vertical takeoff, but no passengers were aboard the initial flights.
The opening phase involves helicopters and fixed-wing airplanes to study possible routes and collect information for future advanced-air-mobility operations. TxDOT also proposed a seven-day series of piloted North Texas flights through the federal eVTOL Integration Pilot Program. Planned missions included service to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, a round trip to Arlington and flights between Alliance Airport and Toyota Motor North America’s headquarters in Plano.
One test would have a Joby aircraft enter DFW’s controlled airspace and land at DFW Corporate Aviation.
NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration began studying electric air taxis in North Texas aviation in 2018. A 2023 Joby-NASA simulation examined whether the DFW terminal area could handle up to 50 electric air taxi operations per hour. The available report does not include the simulation’s results or a timetable for commercial passenger service.
