Volocopter wrapped up the first phase of what it calls operational validation testing for its two-seat eVTOL aircraft with a flight on August 11 in the grounds of France’s historic Versailles palace. Soon after dawn on the last day of the Paris Summer Olympic Games, the German company’s 2X technology demonstrator took off just in front of Versailles’ Grand Trianon structure and its picturesque gardens.
The Versailles flight happened three days after Volocopter, backed by local partners Groupe ADP and France’s DGAC aviation authority, started validation flying at the nearby Saint-Cyr-l’École Airfield. The company had aimed to conduct higher-profile eVTOL public demonstrations using the planned new vertiport near the Austerlitz train station in the city center but was unable to get the required clearances in time. It said it aims to return to the French capital later this year to fulfill this ambition.
The 2X demonstrator aircraft has been flying for almost seven years. Volocopter is also now flying the third in a series of VoloCity prototypes, which have been progressively updated to get closer to a production-conforming version.
During the June 2023 Paris Air Show, Volocopter publicly committed to the ambitious goal of securing both a type certificate and an air operator certificate to allow it to carry fare-paying passengers during the Paris Olympics. Plans called for five aircraft to operate from five vertiports around Paris, and hinged on the manufacturer getting EASA’s approval by the end of June 2024.
Volocopter stepped up flight testing with the aim of meeting these requirements and also acquired a fixed-wing aircraft to prepare to earn an air operator certificate. ADP led a group of 30 partners in the Re.Invent Mobility project.
“I am elated with the dedication and professionalism of the Volocopter team who spent months to get where we are today,” said Volocopter’s CEO Dirk Hoke. “Every new location and flight takes tremendous effort from us, our partners, and authorities. The sustainable air mobility community is still at the start line, but today’s flight in this exceptional environment was the perfect closing ceremony to our summer, as we look forward to returning to Paris very soon.”
The Quest For a Type Certificate Continues
Speaking with AIN in mid-June, Oliver Reinhardt, Volocopter’s chief risk and certification officer, conceded that the type certificate would not be approved in time, but expressed hope that a permit to fly could be secured to allow some flights in Paris. He said the planned flight demonstrations were part of wider efforts to build acceptance for eVTOL air services that Volocopter is working on with partnerships in Italy, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.
Reinhardt explained how Europe’s EASA air safety regulator takes a different approach to type certification from the FAA. “EASA expects a higher level of maturity and compliance to start flying with a pilot on board, and this higher level of maturity allows you to accelerate when you’ve reached this stage,” he said. “FAA allows you to reach this level of maturity by starting to fly with a pilot on board earlier, but then there is still a long way to go and updates and changes are needed.”
The series three prototype has been flown with pilots on board. “When the pilots finally had a chance to fly it, they were very satisfied with the handling qualities which they attributed to the amount of work we’ve already done,” Reinhardt said. “The pilots said it was handling quality you could certify.”
Meanwhile, Volocopter’s engineering team is paying close attention to the performance of the aircraft’s current batteries. Reinhardt said there is still scope to further optimize this key element of the propulsion system, and that the company is finding it easier to rapidly swap out batteries for experiments. It is also closely monitoring the performance of the aircraft’s 18 sets of motors and rotors to see how they perform in flight.
During the course of the ongoing flight testing, EASA officials make frequent requests to inspect components, including checking the motors for signs of wear and tear. Reinhardt said exercises like this have helped his team prepare efficient maintenance processes for the aircraft.
Operating Rules Differ on Each Side of the Atlantic
In April, the European Commission adopted a package of regulations covering how eVTOL aircraft can be operated. This covers requirements for piloted air taxi services, including factors such as flight crew licensing and air traffic management.
The European performance-based approach to the regulatory framework essentially requires each company to describe how they will meet each of the requirements. “[For example], there is no fixed energy reserve [for eVTOL flights],” Reinhardt explained. “You have to identify specific routes, with alternate [in case of technical problems en route] decision points, and even the operational conditions that would be required to calculate energy reserves in each case, with a margin.”
By contrast, the FAA’s proposed special federal aviation regulation (SFAR) governing powered-lift aircraft, which is how the U.S. agency categorizes eVTOLs, is now being reviewed by the White House’s Office and Management and Budget as it moves towards anticipated implementation in October. Among the questions this ruling should resolve are the energy reserve requirements. In June, the FAA issued an advisory circular giving guidance on how it will handle type, production, and airworthiness certification of eVTOL vehicles.