Volocopter conducts eVTOL validation flight in Paris

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by Yves Le Marquand
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Volocopter has begun crewed validation test flights at the Aerodrome of Saint-Cyr-l’École, just outside Versailles, France. 

Conducted on August 8th, the flight marks the beginning of Volocopter’s aircraft validation phase which will see the company fly a pre-commercial test series around the Paris region to prove its ability to operate as an air taxi in urban environments. The company had originally planned a series of public demonstration flights during the ongoing Olympic Games. Voloctoper CEO Dirk Hoke said the company still hopes to fly from a vertiport in Austerlitz, central Paris before the end of the year. 

The flights, which include manoeuvres to and from the vertiport, ground handling, communication with air traffic control and battery charging and management at vertiports, are being conducted using Volocopter’s X2 demonstrator. The firm has been granted a a permit to fly from the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) to perform the test flights. Volocopter is currently working with EASA to certify its VoloCity production aircraft. 

“Everyone at Volocopter is incredibly proud of how far the company has come and what it means to fly today at Saint-Cyr-l’École,” said Hoke. “City launches take time to establish a foothold on the ground, and through open communication and dedication, Volocopter has become an embodiment of trust, from our partners, Europe’s leading aviation authorities, and Paris which has become one of the most advanced IAM networks in the world.

“We concentrate on the Type Certification of the VoloCity and will start the test phase of Emergency Medical Services [EMS] in Germany together with our partner ADAC Luftrettung in 2025,” he added.

Edward Arkwright, deputy CEO of Groupe ADP, added: “We achieved our objective to fly in Ile-de-France during this exceptional summer. We also met the goal to deliver the first vertiport network, with the launch of the one in Saint-Cyr L’Ecole, which completes our network in Ile-de-France.

“For now, test flights are carried out without passengers, but once the aircraft is certified, we will test emergency medical flights with AP-HP (Ile-de-France University Hospital Centre).” This article was first published on our sister site Revolution.Aero.

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