Tag: Volocopter

EASA Publishes World’s First Noise Certification Standards for EVOTLs

Aviation International News reports that EASA “has published what it claims are the world’s first proposed noise certification standards for eVTOLs.” The guidelines are “known as the Environmental Protection Technical Specifications (EPTS), the proposed specification would be applicable to eVTOLs powered by multiple vertical, non-tilting, evenly distributed rotors.” EASA says that the rules are intended to fill a gap in aerospace regulations. The agency used noise certification standards for heavy helicopters as a starting point while it “collects more noise data from specific eVTOL designs through certification projects.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

EASA Publishes Noise Standards for EVOTLs

Aviation International News reports that EASA “has published what it claims are the world’s first proposed noise certification standards for eVTOLs.” The proposals, known as the Environmental Protection Technical Specifications (EPTS), “are applicable to eVTOL vehicles powered by multiple vertical, non-tilting, evenly distributed rotors.” EASA says that the proposed specifications “are intended to fill a regulatory gap and use the internationally harmonized noise certification standards for heavy helicopters” as a starting point while it “collects more noise data from specific eVTOL designs through certification projects.” In addition, a hover noise level “has been developed to aid in the assessment of flight operations in the vicinity of vertiports.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

Report Says Military, Medevac Segments will Grow Helicopter Demand to $41 Billion by 2027

Aviation International News reports that a new report from consultancy Markets and Markets “predicts a 6.1 percent annual growth rate for the world helicopter market between 2022 and 2027, forecasting a rise in total value to $41.2 billion from the current $31.9 billion in 2023.” The consultancy “cites several factors for the growth including increased demand for military helicopters, air ambulances, law enforcement aircraft, and increased transport needs for oil and gas operations.” It also believes that the “development of unmanned helicopters, hybrid-electric propulsion systems, and advanced avionics” will create “significant market opportunities.” Other reasons for the growth “include the replacement of aged military stock, expansion of emerging country economies and the enhancement of the national defenses, and the development of next-generation aircraft including tiltrotors and compound helicopters.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

Companies Make Progress on EVTOL Production

Aviation Week posted a slideshow of eVTOL aircraft in development, saying that the aircraft that have been in development throughout the 2010s are “beginning to fly, but the industry’s self-imposed deadlines for certification and service entry are looming, and much work remains to be done.” Supernal’s SA-1 is among the aircraft profiled in the piece, mentioning that BAE Systems is developing the flight control system.
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Volocopter to Partner with Safran on Next-Gen Electric Powertrain

Aviation Today reports that Volocopter “signed an agreement with Safran Electrical & Power last week that includes plans for developing a next-generation electric powertrain.” The powertrain will be “designed specifically for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft like those under development by Volocopter.” An announcement of the agreement stated, “The agreement covers the exploration of commercial and engineering partnerships, specifically around the entire electric powertrain ranging from the electrical propulsion system (EPS), battery units, and power distribution system to wider engineering services.”
Full Story (Aviation Today)

EVOTL OEM Ranking Hold Steady in Reality Index

Aviation Week reports that the ranking of electric air taxi startups “was unchanged in the latest edition of the AAM Reality Index, with Joby Aviation and Volocopter leading the pack followed by a three-way tie between Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies and EHang.” Joby’s front-runner position, with a score of 8.7 out of 10, largely “stems from its hefty cash cushion relative to its main competitors, according to Sergio Cecutta, founder and CEO of SMG Consulting, which publishes the bimonthly AAM Reality Index in conjunction with Aviation Week.” As a comparison, the company “finished the March quarter with nearly $1 billion in cash versus roughly $450 million for rival Archer.”
Full Story (Aviation Today)

AAM to Take on Bigger Role in Oshkosh

Aerospace America reports that crowds at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual AirVenture show “sweltered in the heat and breathed in air hazy with smoke from Canadian wildfires on Tuesday, but for most it was worth it to glimpse what could be the future: an emissionless aircraft in flight.” A remote pilot for Wisk “flew the company’s bright yellow, all-electric Cora aircraft with no one on board.” It was the first public “flight of the electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOL. For the Experimental Aircraft Association, the flight also marked the first flight by a remotely piloted aircraft designed for passengers in the show’s 70-year history (Cora can seat two passengers).” The presence of Wisk and several other eVTOL companies “prompted EAA CEO Jack Pelton to declare that advanced air mobility aircraft will have a growing presence at AirVenture.” Pelton said at a press conference, “I think this will be kind of a landmark year. We’re going to start moving in that [AAM] direction, as these companies get closer and closer to certification. A lot of them are saying 2024 or 2025 for when they will be certified.”
Full Story (Aerospace America)

AFRL to Test Air Traffic Management System for UAVs, eVTOLs

Aviation Week reported that the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Information Directorate and Afwerx have “recently installed an Uncrewed Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) system at Eglin AFB, Florida, to test coordinating and deconflicting the flights of drones and electric-vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL)” aircraft.
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Volocopter Conducts First Public Flight of 2X eVTOL

Aviation Today reports that Volocopter “flew its Volocopter 2X in public for the first time in France at the Paris Air Forum, the company announced in a June 21 press release.” The flight “took place at Le Bourget Airfield and lasted three minutes, according to the release.” The eVTOL “flew in a 500 m route at speeds up to 30 km/h.” Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter said, “The first flight today in Paris highlights Volocopter’s commitment to bring air taxi services to this region in time for the 2024 Olympic Games.”
Full Story (Aviation Today)

Volocopter Flies eVTOL Prototype

Aviation International News reported that Volocopter made the first FAA-approved flight of an eVTOL aircraft Tuesday at the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The crewed Volocopter 2X prototype flew a four-minute sortie at around 164 feet. Volocopter confirmed that it is working on the four-seat VoloConnect aircraft, expected to have a 60-mile range and top speed of 155 mph.
Full Story (Aviation International News)

Volocopter Exhibits eVTOL at Fiumicino

Aviation Today reports that Volocopter “is exhibiting a scaled version of its VoloCity eVTOL at Fiumicino Airport this week as part of a new partnership with Atlantia and Aeroporti di Roma that seeks to bring electric air taxi operations to Italy in the next 2-3 years.”
Full Story (Aviation Today)