Volocopter has started crewed validation test flights with its two-seat eVTOL aircraft from the Paris-area Saint-Cyr-l’École airfield. The flight conducted on August 8 marks the start of work to develop air taxi routes around the French capital in a lower-profile exercise than the full public demonstration flights the German company had planned during the ongoing Olympic Games.
The flights are being conducted with Volocopter’s 2X technology demonstrator aircraft, with a permit to fly having been granted by France’s DGAC civil aviation authority. The company is working to achieve EASA type certification for its VoloCity production aircraft.
According to Volocopter CEO Dirk Hoke, the company still plans to fly at the new Austerlitz vertiport in the heart of Paris later this year, as had been planned for the Olympic demonstration. The Saint-Cyr-l’École airfield is around 22 miles southwest of the city center and is close to the Palace of Versailles.
Volocopter now plans to start the test phase for emergency medical service operations with the VoloCity with its German partner ADAC Luftrettung in 2025. It is not clear whether it aims to have secured the type certificate by then or whether this would also be conducted under a permit to fly.
“Everybody at Volocopter is incredibly proud of how far the company has come and what it means to fly today at Saint-Cyr-l’École,” Hoke commented. “City launches take time to establish a foothold on the ground, and through open communication and dedication, Volocopter has become the embodiment of trust, from our partners, Europe’s leading aviation authorities, and Paris which has become one of the most advanced air mobility networks in the world.”