CityAirbus eVTOL Makes 'Tethered Jump'

The four-passenger CityAirbus eVTOL urban air mobility demonstration aircraft made its first flight on May 3 at Airbus Helicopters’ facility in Donauwörth, Germany. The flight was announced via Twitter by Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even, who provided a photo of the flight demonstration team with the aircraft.

The company characterized the flight as a “tethered jump” intended to further assess the performance of the propulsion and flight control systems, as well as gather a few other data points. The flight-test program will now move to Manching, Germany to open the flight envelope in restricted airspace. The aircraft is currently designed to accommodate a pilot, although Airbus said the eventual goal is to fly autonomously.

Power comes from four battery banks wired to eight Siemens SP200D 100 kW motors that drive eight propellers in four ducted assemblies. Estimated cruising speed is 65 knots with an endurance of 15 minutes.