Photo: Volocopter
One of the leading eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) makers globally marked two premieres for the AAM (Advanced Air Mobility) market in the US with the VoloCity electric air taxi.
The emerging AAM industry is already crowded with hundreds of names across the globe, but only a handful are at the top right now. One of them is the German Volocopter, set on conquering not just the European market but also the highly competitive American one.
It has already conducted demonstrations in places like Las Vegas, Oshkosh, and the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 2018 and has secured strategic partnerships with big names, such as Urban Movement Labs in Los Angeles and the Bristow Group.
To this extensive portfolio, Volocopter has recently added flight tests in Tampa, Florida. It wasn't a single demonstration but a complex, multi-layered flight test campaign conducted with the VoloCity prototype known as the Volocopter 2x, with a pilot on board. Volocopter conducted the flights at the Tampa International Airport (TPA) in collaboration with the FAA (the Federal Aviation Administration).
This is more than a first for the German company. It marked two industry-first milestones at once. Volocopter's flight test campaign marked the first-ever flight of any eVTOL in the state of Florida, as well as the first eVTOL flight at a large US international airport.
For Volocopter, it's another stepping stone for its planned expansion into the US market. In the near future, Florida is set to become one of the major areas of operation for the VoloCity air taxi through the manufacturer's partnership with the Bristow Group. This eVTOL was specifically designed for quiet, safe, and fast passenger transport in busy urban areas like Tampa.
In preparation for its global expansion, Volocopter is working to obtain both the EASA (the European Union Aviation Safety Agency) and FAA certifications. It's due to obtain the European one next year, while the FAA type certification process will take a bit longer.
Earlier this year, the AAM company reached another major milestone. It officially opened its new production facilities in Bruchsal, Germany, also inaugurating a hangar that will become the final assembly line for the VoloCity air taxi.
The future two-passenger air taxi promises fast turnaround operations due to an advanced battery-swapping system. It will feature 18 rotors and nine rechargeable batteries, along with top-notch safety functions and a high-comfort cabin.
The Volocopter 2X prototype was also at the center of an industry first. In 2022, it conducted its first test flight at the first vertiport in Italy and one of the first in Europe. Next year, the same VoloCity that is set to conquer Florida will kick off air taxi operations at this Italian vertiport, carrying passengers from the Fiumicino Airport to the center of Rome with zero emission and maximum efficiency.
It has already conducted demonstrations in places like Las Vegas, Oshkosh, and the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 2018 and has secured strategic partnerships with big names, such as Urban Movement Labs in Los Angeles and the Bristow Group.
To this extensive portfolio, Volocopter has recently added flight tests in Tampa, Florida. It wasn't a single demonstration but a complex, multi-layered flight test campaign conducted with the VoloCity prototype known as the Volocopter 2x, with a pilot on board. Volocopter conducted the flights at the Tampa International Airport (TPA) in collaboration with the FAA (the Federal Aviation Administration).
This is more than a first for the German company. It marked two industry-first milestones at once. Volocopter's flight test campaign marked the first-ever flight of any eVTOL in the state of Florida, as well as the first eVTOL flight at a large US international airport.
For Volocopter, it's another stepping stone for its planned expansion into the US market. In the near future, Florida is set to become one of the major areas of operation for the VoloCity air taxi through the manufacturer's partnership with the Bristow Group. This eVTOL was specifically designed for quiet, safe, and fast passenger transport in busy urban areas like Tampa.
In preparation for its global expansion, Volocopter is working to obtain both the EASA (the European Union Aviation Safety Agency) and FAA certifications. It's due to obtain the European one next year, while the FAA type certification process will take a bit longer.
Earlier this year, the AAM company reached another major milestone. It officially opened its new production facilities in Bruchsal, Germany, also inaugurating a hangar that will become the final assembly line for the VoloCity air taxi.
The future two-passenger air taxi promises fast turnaround operations due to an advanced battery-swapping system. It will feature 18 rotors and nine rechargeable batteries, along with top-notch safety functions and a high-comfort cabin.
The Volocopter 2X prototype was also at the center of an industry first. In 2022, it conducted its first test flight at the first vertiport in Italy and one of the first in Europe. Next year, the same VoloCity that is set to conquer Florida will kick off air taxi operations at this Italian vertiport, carrying passengers from the Fiumicino Airport to the center of Rome with zero emission and maximum efficiency.
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