Sustainable air mobility pioneer Volocopter has completed a crewed test flight at the Aerodrome of Saint-Cyr-l'École, south west of Paris
Built by long-time Volocopter partner Groupe ADP, Saint-Cyr-l'École is the first bespoke commercial vertiport for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) integrated with Volocopter’s approved flights routes in Paris. This flight initiated the eVTOL operational validation phase, a critical step to making electric flights a norm in the French capital and beyond. According to Volocopter, the commencement of this phase is significant for the entire innovative air mobility (IAM) industry, as it is expected to generate practical knowledge for integrating eVTOLs in vertiports and airspaces worldwide.
The phase includes flight manoeuvres to and from the vertiport, ground handling, communication with air traffic control, and battery charging and management at vertiports. Validation testing at an eVTOL-bespoke and route-approved location in Saint-Cyr-l'École will give Volocopter a unique advantage in gathering first-hand data on improving its aircraft operations, it said.
This successful trial is the result of more than three years of work by Volocopter and Groupe ADP to advance multiple regulatory approvals on infrastructure and aircraft. This includes Volocopter’s advisory role involvement as the industry pioneer in the European eVTOL certification programme, airspace operations, and infrastructure design influencing the development of the ready-to-operate St. Cyr vertiport brought to fruition by Groupe ADP.
Dirk Hoke, CEO of Volocopter, said: “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. 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.”
Looking ahead, Hoke continued, “we still aspire to fly at the Austerlitz vertiport later this year. Beyond that, we will 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.”
For this flight test campaign, the company was granted a permit to fly by the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC), prior to receiving a Type Certification (TC) from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
