Earlier this month, China-based AutoFlight announced it planned to ramp up its certification program this year with the goal of beginning passenger services with its Prosperity I eVTOL air taxi by 2025.
Tian Yu, CEO and founder of AutoFlight, and Mark Henning, managing director of AutoFlight Europe, shared more details about the Prosperity I eVTOL air taxi in a video released by the company. The footage includes clips of its maiden flight last October, as well as a tease for an upcoming flight test video for the Prosperity I.
AutoFlight confirmed with eVTOL.com that the company has completed its transition flight test for the Prosperity I earlier this month. Today, the eVTOL company released a short clip of the aircraft transitioning from vertical to horizontal flight, with the lift rotors stopping and locking to allow the rear propellers to push the aircraft forward. The company said it plans to release the full video of the transition flight in early February.
The Prosperity I eVTOL air taxi uses a lift-plus-cruise configuration with eight lift rotors on twin booms and two propellers for propulsion. The vehicle is targeting a range of 250 kilometers (155 miles), cruise speed of 200 km/h (125 mph) and a maximum take-off weight of 1,500 kilograms (3,305 pounds), with three passengers and a pilot onboard.
