When we learned of the extraordinary VoloCity aircraft, it looked like a bunch of drones welded together.
The German company has just released a video showing the maiden flight of the first full-size prototype of the aircraft.
The electric-powered VoloCity looks like a regular helicopter during its short maiden flight at Pontoise airfield near Paris, France. The successful outing paves the way for longer, more demanding test flights as Volocopter edges towards its goal of providing passenger services at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
The VoloCity can carry two people and be flown autonomously, remotely or by an onboard pilot. The aircraft has a top speed of 112 kph and a range of 22 miles, making it ideal for short urban hops. The VoloCity is four times quieter than a conventional helicopter, according to Volocopter, making for a more peaceful ride.
The company gained permits to fly in crewed or uncrewed configurations for trial flights in cities such as Singapore, as a result of hundreds of test flights of earlier versions of the VoloCity.
It could convince regulators in other countries to green light urban taxi services if it makes a success of the Paris Olympics.
The most recent flight was the culmination of all the hard work that went into getting the VoloCity off the ground and is the first major step for us here at Volocopter as we gear up for our commercial launch.
Though the sky is our only limit, we are working hard to make sure our final air taxi is as safe as can be so that both the regulators and our customers can sit back, relax, and enjoy peace of mind.
A number of companies are competing to build a safe, reliable, and efficient electric aircraft for urban transportation.
The company is working on similar aircraft for longer journeys as well as for transportation of freight.
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