German-based eVTOL developer Volocopter has shared footage of its first hover flight test for the VoloCity eVTOL aircraft — the model that the startup plans to certify and have ready to fly at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Volocopter briefly announced the milestone earlier this year during the Vertical Flight Society’s annual Electric VTOL Symposium, when executives said the company achieved the first flight of its full-scale VoloCity pre-production prototype in December 2021.
The flight test, which starts at around 2:00 in the video, shows the aircraft hovering above the ground — the company said the aircraft hovered for about a minute before it was brought back down.
In preparation for the VoloCity’s launch at the Paris Olympics, the eVTOL developer has conducted flight tests at Pontoise-Cormeilles Airport in France using its previous 2X prototype. Volocopter said it has conducted more than 1,500 flight tests with its various models over the last decade.
The eVTOL developer is aiming to receive type certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for its two-seat VoloCity multicopter. Powered by nine lithium-ion battery packs, the company is targeting a range of 35 kilometers (22 miles) and maximum airspeed of 110 kilometers per hour (68 miles per hour).
Congratulations on your hover flight. The real challenge is to see if it flies forward, in wind , rain, turbulence etc. there are numerous home built helicopters that hover but are uncontrollable in forward flight.