Volocopter, an air taxi startup, has shown the latest flight test of its VoloCity electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The company has begun a flight test dedicated campaign to put the VoloCity air taxi through many tests as part of a step toward achieving aircraft certification. The tests that are currently underway are what will be required for certification. Certification will allow the company to be able to offer air taxi services commercially in many regions.
Only Joby so far has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification for air taxi services to be offered commercially.
In the video, numerous engineers from Volocopter show how the company is going about testing the aircraft from the motors to the landing gear to the rotors and more. The engineers talk about the importance of testing and what will be the next steps for the company once testing is completed.
Other companies are working toward this goal and accelerating testing due to two events that are likely to accelerate the market for air taxis. First, the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics is expected to use air taxis to ferry event visitors back and forth to locations. The second event will be the World Expo 2025 taking place in Japan. Both of these events will be some of the first real-world use cases for air taxis.
Volocopter will be one of many other eVTOL companies that will be participating at these events and showcasing their aircraft. Other vendors include EHang, Joby, Airbus, SkyDrive and many more.
