German eVTOL developer Volocopter has partnered with Aviation Safety and Quality Solutions (ASQS), an Austrian software company, to help it design and produce aircraft to certification standards.
Under the partnership, Volocopter will implement ASQS’s integrated quality and safety management system (IQSMS) in all aspects of its business, including engineering, manufacturing, operations, and maintenance. IQSMS is a web-based program used by more than 280 aviation companies worldwide to ensure that aircraft meet the required standards for safety and quality.
The IQSMS software will enable comprehensive monitoring of all compliance and safety-related aspects of Volocopter’s operations by providing a platform for hazard and event reporting, proactive and systemic risk management, and internal and external auditing, according to ASQS.
Volocopter, which was founded in 2011, plans to manufacture and operate autonomously flown eVTOL aircraft, including air taxis and cargo delivery drones, in urban areas. The company also intends to develop physical and digital infrastructure to enable its urban air mobility services. It has partnered with Microsoft to implement a cloud-based system called VoloIQ to support all of its data management needs.
For ground infrastructure, Volocopter has partnered with Skyports to design and build the first so-called VoloPort, an airport that can support the takeoff and landing of eVTOL aircraft. The first sample VoloPort was built in Singapore’s Marina Bay district in 2019 to support a public flight demonstration of Volocoopter’s VoloCity eVTOL aircraft. Volocopter has also conducted flight demonstrations with the VoloCity in other locations around the world, including Dubai, U.A.E.; Helsinki; Oshkosh, Wisconsin; and Hamburg, Germany.
In addition to the two-seat VoloCity air taxi, the company is developing a four-seat VoloConnect eVTOL aircraft for longer passenger flights between suburbs and city centers, as well as an autonomous freight-carrying VoloDrone. All three of these aircraft have already begun flight testing. Initial flights of the VoloCity and VoloConnect will operate with a pilot on board, but Volocopter plans to transition to fully autonomous passenger flights once it meets regulatory and stakeholder acceptance requirements.
