Urban Air Mobility (UAM) developer Volocopter has shared a new video showcasing the time and effort the company and its staff have been putting into the flight testing campaign for the VoloCity eVTOL air taxi as it moves closer to genuine flights with human passengers. You can see it taking off and landing in real time below.
Volocopter is a German urban air mobility (UAM) developer that functions as an aircraft manufacturer, airport, and aerial system developer all in one. The company has quickly become one of the biggest names in UAM the past couple years, as it continues to expand its eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle trials around the globe.
Volocopter began researching the plausibility of UAM in the US last year, starting with Los Angeles, and is planning public test flights in Japan in 2023. Not to be outdone, Volocopter is also working to operate air taxis in Paris during the 2024 Olympic Games.
2022 brought a shakeup in the CEO position, as chief Florian Reuter announced this past March he would be stepping down and ex-Airbus Defense and Space head Dirk Hoke would be taking over.
Regardless of the shuffle in the executive boardroom, Volocopter remains flush with cash and continues to move closer to passenger-filled flights in its eVTOL air taxi – the VoloCity.
Watch the Volocopter VoloCity (briefly) takeoff and land
Volocopter shared its latest progress update of the VoloCity in video form, updating over three-minutes of footage to YouTube outlining the testing campaign process while sharing brief snippets of the eVTOL air taxi taking off and landing.
The landing shot is so tight and quick that it’s possible that its takeoff footage played in reverse, an editing tactic we’ve seen from other eVTOL developers. We can’t say for certain, however. You’ll have to check out the video below and decide for yourself.
Either way, Volocopter continues to make strides in testing the VoloCity air taxi, with hopes to eventually transport humans around urban landscapes in the next two years. Per Volocopter’s description on its latest video:
We are proud to present the latest from our Flight Test team as their dedicated campaign to put the VoloCity through its paces is in full swing! This is a major step on our journey toward achieving aircraft certification and we are thrilled to be sharing it with all of you! This short clip is the culmination of all the hard work that we’re doing to get the VoloCity urban air taxi off the ground as we gear up for our commercial launch.
Our ultimate goal? We want to be flying our VoloCity urban air taxi for real in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics. And we hope you’ll be there too, cheering us on from the sidelines – or perhaps even from inside one of our VoloCity aircraft!
According to the UAM developer, it still has its sights set on the 2024 Olympics and will continue to work toward that goal through further testing. A major step will be flights with human passengers, which we look forward to seeing soon and sharing with you. Until then, check out the VoloCity testing campaign video below:
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Author: Scooter Doll
Source: Electrek
