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The
Volocopter test aircraft, which resembles a large drone with
eight rotors, took off with a passenger on board from the
Pontoise-Cormeilles airfield outside Paris and briefly circled
around while other aircraft were in the vicinity.
German company Volocopter CEO Dirk Hoke said that in the next 18
months it will prepare its craft for certification and said he
hopes to launch short commercial flights by 2024, when Paris
holds the Summer Olympic Games.
The company wants its two-seater aircraft to eventually take to
the skies fully automated, with only passengers aboard, but
admits that a lot of work was still needed in terms of
infrastructure, airspace integration and public acceptance.
Test pilot Paul Stone said that the craft's digital fly-by-wire
system and multiple rotors make it much easier to fly than a
traditional helicopter.
"In a helicopter, when you move one control, three things
happen, and it's like patting your head and rubbing your tummy -
it's a coordination exercise. In this aircraft, they take away
all that difficulty, and it's very simple controls in each axis,
that's what makes it easier to fly," he said.
Valérie Pecresse, president of the Ile-de-France region around
Paris, said the region had provided financial support for the
initiative as she wants the first passenger flight in a vertical
takeoff and landing aircraft to take place here.
"The development of low-altitude aviation for urban air mobility
is an adventure full of promises," she said in a statement.
Volocopter is in a costly race with companies around the world,
including Lilium, Joby Aviation and Airbus to have the first
flying taxi certified by regulators. It is aiming to achieve
this in around two years.
(Reporting by Noemie Olive and Lucien Libert; Writing by Geert
De Clercq; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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