New shot of the Volocopter that at UP.Summit, an annual meeting of leader in transport innovation hosted by the investment company UP.Partners, has just presented a big news for the urban air mobility (Uam) sector: its maxi fixed-wing drone, the VoloConnect, has completed the his first experimental flight. This milestone makes Volocopter the only eVTOL (vertical take-off and landing electric aircraft) developer in the world to have an entire fleet of distinct aircraft configurations in flight testing.
The new four-seater Volocopter
An “object” (the definition is always difficult, we are halfway between drone, plane, helicopter) that owes its innovative character to two factors: it offers longer and faster journeys than any other Volocopter aircraft produced to date, it has a range of over 80 km and flight speeds of over 210 km / h. And so the passenger plane’s wider range and higher payload will take business travelers and commuters beyond the city center, on routes like Burbank to Huntington Beach to Los Angeles.
Paris, the first air taxi presented: it will fly from Fiumicino airport to Termini in 10 minutes
All for an entry into service scheduled for 2026, while the commercial launch of VoloCity is scheduled for 2024: a pioneering enterprise that already has something very concrete because here not only plans are announced but then they are realized with public test flights.
Around the city in the flying taxi: the future in an app
by VALENTINA BARRESI
What about security? Volocopter has designed the VoloConnect and its other eVTOL aircraft to meet the highest aviation safety standards according to EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency). The prototype completed its first flight in May 2022 after just 17 months of work and performed a few maneuvers for 2 minutes and 14 seconds during its first flight. And we are talking about a prototype that has all the aerodynamic and performance characteristics expected for the future commercial product.
The flying man crosses the Channel. The revolution of cars with wings is closer
by our correspondent PAOLO GRISERI
The VoloConnect prototype is in fact currently undergoing a demanding series of flight tests to verify that the aircraft and its systems are in line with the performance limits and prepared for the subsequent development phases. This phase includes a number of different tests, including standardized low-speed, transitional, high-speed and engine failure tests for automated and subsequently autonomous flights – all standard tests for an eVTOL passenger aircraft manufacturer.
Flying taxis arrive in France next year
Carlo Lavalle
In short, an important step forward for urban air mobility (Uam) in megacities around the world, which comes from a very young company: the Volocopter was founded in 2011employs more than 500 people in Germany and Singapore, but has already successfully completed over 1,500 public and private test flights and raised $ 579 million in shares from investors including Geely, WP Investment, Mercedes-Benz Group, Intel Capital and BlackRock.
Dubai, unmanned flying taxi tested: two people travel at 100 km / h
Drones-Taxi: the first summit on the mobility of the future in Rome
