• 30 Sep 2019 09:33 AM
• 0

Volocopter hits high gear

The past several weeks have been filled by several announcements from Bruchsal, Germany-based Volocopter GmbH. Here is a roundup:

Volocopter reveals design for new Urban Air Mobility aircraft, Aug 21: Volocopter announced its newest air taxi model, the VoloCity, intended to be the first commercial Volocopter aircraft. This will be the fourth-generation eVTOL by the German Urban Air Mobility developer. The VoloCity has been designed to meet the safety standards specified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (SC-VTOL category enhanced) and incorporates user feedback as well as test data from all previous Volocopter generations, including more than 1,000 test flights. With a calculated range of 35 km and airspeed of 110 km/h, the VoloCity is designed to serve as an on-demand inner-city air taxi. Read More ...

Successful integration of piloted air taxi into Air Traffic Management / UTM system, Aug 30: Volocopter performed a flight at the Helsinki International Airport successfully integrated into both the Air Traffic Management (ATM) and Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) system. Within the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) Programme this demonstration is the final leg of the Gulf of Finland (GOF) u-space project showing how ATM and UTM systems enable Urban Air Mobility (UAM). Urban environments require reliable solutions to enable safe airspace operations given the increasing number of drones and manned aircraft over cities. The GOF U-space flight trial demonstrated how ATM and UTM can act in combination to enable safe and efficient air taxi operation in urban environments, including airports. Read More ...

Volocopter Signs EUR 50 Million in First Closing of Series C Round, Sept 9: Volocopter announced that it signed the first closing of its Series C funding round, which is being led by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, followed by new and existing investors from Europe, America, and Asia. The new funds will be used towards bringing the VoloCity aircraft to commercial launch within the next three years. Volocopter remains in discussions with additional investors for a second closing around year-end. The first closing will increase the total capital that Volocopter has raised to EUR 85 million. Geely Holding and Volocopter have also entered into a joint venture to bring Urban Air Mobility to China. Read More ...

Stuttgart sees first urban flight of Volocopter in Europe, Sep 14: Volocopter flew its 2X eVTOL demonstrator at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. The flight was a highlight of the two-day event "Vision Smart City - Experience the mobility of the future today". The event is part of an initiative of a research project by the Technical University of Stuttgart to examine the social acceptance of air taxis. Read More ...

First use of manned multicopter in rescue operations staged, Sept 26: In a feasibility study launched by ADAC Luftrettung (air rescue) at the end of 2018 and supported by the charitable ADAC foundation, a multicopter ⁠— the Volocopter 2X ⁠— was used for the first time in a staged rescue operation. Covering everything from the alert at the ADAC Luftrettung HEMS base to the emergency treatment of the patient on the scene, a real-life operation was staged. Publication of the findings of the research project is scheduled for next year. From then on, the theoretical and practical experiences gained could be applied in a real-life pilot project. The researchers are using a Volocopter from the company of the same name based in Bruchsal/Germany for the study. Read More ...