KDOT Partners with Kansas Aviation Museum to Host Joby’s Electric Skies Tour

Photo above – Ray Seif, Wichita Mayor Lily Wu and Textron VP of Global Sales and Strategy, Special Missions and Defense, Bob Gibbs.

*At the simulator are Mayor Wu and Joby Aviation’s Earl Lawrence.*

On Sept 28th, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), Division of Aviation partnered with Joby Aviation and the Kansas Aviation Museum to host a stop along Joby’s Electric Skies tour across the US. The Kansas stop was held at the Kansas Aviation Museum, located at McConnell AFB.

Joby Aviation flew a Cessna Caravan piloted by Joby’s XWing SuperPilot autonomous platform. Ray Seif, KDOT, Director of Aviation, shared with the State Aviation Journal that Kansas was one of the stops along Joby’s multi state Electric Skies tour across the country, showcasing the next wave of aviation automation technology. “Landing at the Air Capital of the World was especially meaningful since this is the birthplace of the Cessna Caravan. We were treated to a visit from the original Cessna Caravan test pilot W.K. “Bill” Bergman, who took the Caravan on its first flight out of McConnell AFB on December 9, 1982,” noted Seif.

*A mix of city/county, state, federal, and industry stakeholders attended.*

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.