BRUCHSAL, Germany - Urban Air Mobility (UAM) company Volocopter, which is based in Bruschal, Germany, announced that it has flown its fixed-wing passenger aircraft VoloConnect for the first time. The flight was announced at the UP Summit in Bentonville, Ark. June 8.
Volocopter's third product solution, the VoloConnect, offers a range of over 60 miles and flight speeds above 155 mph. The German company says the VoloConnect's passenger plane's extended range and higher payload will bring business travelers and commuters beyond the city center on routes like Burbank to Huntington Beach in Los Angeles, Calif.
Volocopter designed the VoloConnect and its other eVTOL aircraft to meet the highest aviation safety standards according to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The prototype completed its first flight in May 2022 after just 17 months in the making and performed a few maneuvers for two minutes and 14 seconds during its first flight. The prototype has all the planned aerodynamics and performance features of the future commercial product.
The VoloConnect's six rotors facilitate vertical takeoff, while two electric fans in combination with uplift-creating wings ensure high forward speeds. Its prototype is currently passing a series of flight tests to verify that the aircraft and its systems are in line with performance limits and prepared for the subsequent development. This phase encompasses low-speed, transition, high-speed, and engine failure testing for automated and later autonomous flights – all standard-issue tests for eVTOL passenger aircraft manufacturers. Within the first three test flights of this campaign, the team was able to verify a significant portion of the eVTOL's envelope with forward speeds up to 40 mph and 28 mph sideward flight speeds during tests.
"Having a whole family of electric aircraft in the test flight phase is a pioneering feat," said Florian Reuter, Volocopter CEO. "Volocopter's leadership in the industry stems from announcing plans and then delivering on them visibly with public test flights. Our technology platform is the foundation for our family of aircraft approach and has proven to deliver results at an astounding speed. Volocopter is bringing these innovative designs off the ground, into the air, and then to cities worldwide!"
