Volocopter has performed its planned demonstration flight over Singapore’s Marina Bay according to schedule.
The German eVTOL developer declared a year ago that it would test its eponymous multicopters in Singapore in the second half of 2019. In September of this year, Skyports co-founder and managing director Duncan Walker announced that Volocopter would fly over Singapore’s Marina Bay during the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) World Congress the week of Oct. 21.
Now, Volocopter has realized its vision. On Oct. 22, a Volocopter 2X with a pilot on board flew around Marina Bay for two minutes, covering a distance of approximately 1.5 kilometers (one mile) at an average cruising height of 40 meters (130 feet).
“The flight today in Singapore was the most advanced Volocopter flight yet and the piloted flight was as stable as ever,” stated Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter. The company said the demonstration was the final trial in a “demanding” test series that involved Singapore’s Ministry of Transport, Economic Development Board (EDB), and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).
According to CAAS Director (Aviation Industry) Ho Yuen Sang, “Since late 2018, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore has been working with Volocopter to facilitate this flight in Singapore. The Volocopter team went through a series of stringent evaluations to ensure that all the necessary safety requirements were met before the flight was allowed to take place. By working closely with companies such as Volocopter, we hope to facilitate innovations for beneficial uses whilst ensuring aviation and public safety.”
Prior to the flight, Volocopter and Skyports unveiled a prototype “VoloPort” on the Float at Marina Bay. Reuter said the full-scale vertiport offers a “realistic demonstration of air taxi boarding and maintenance services” — critical components of Volocopter’s urban air mobility model. Volocopter and Skyports plan to continue their VoloPort collaboration as they work toward the launch of commercial air taxi services in Singapore and beyond.
“Volocopter’s decision to testbed its innovative air taxi in Singapore is testament to the opportunities and environment that Singapore provides,” stated Tan Kong Hwee, EDB assistant managing director. “The Singapore Economic Development Board hopes to be an enabling partner for companies developing new mobility technologies such as autonomous vehicles and urban aerial mobility.”
