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Volocopter completed its first flight test at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport in New York City with a crewed Volocopter 2X. The Volocopter 2X participated in the world's largest and first public event to showcase eVTOL aircraft in NYC, including a first flight from Joby Aviation's eVTOL.
The urban air mobility event was hosted by the Mayor of NYC, Eric Adams and the NYC Economic Development Corporation. With this flight, Volocopter has conducted flights in two of the biggest metropolitan hubs in the world, NYC and Singapore. This success is a testament to the company's skill in bringing safer, quieter and more sustainable air travel to the world.
With the lower Manhattan skyline and Brooklyn Bridge as a backdrop, the Volocopter 2X electric air taxi flew on a smooth and quiet flight. The Volocopter's design is suited for short- to mid-range urban missions while producing zero emissions in flight and lowering operational noise significantly, creating less of an impact amidst the busy metropolitan scene in a city like NYC.
As a part of the showcase, NYC outlined a mission to transform the DMH, reducing emissions, noise pollution and improving the quality of life in the community. NYC will reshape heliports like DMH to accommodate eVTOL aircraft, allowing the city to diversity travel options and reduce congestion, while still meeting the demands of transport for one of the busiest cities in the world.
"The Adams Administration has been a leader in driving technology innovation and economic growth while simultaneously improving quality of life," said Andrew Kimball, NYCEDC President and CEO. "EDC's new strategy for the Downtown Manhattan Heliport reflects these priorities while making it an industry leader in the embrace of eVTOLS - a quieter and greener helicopter alternative - while at the same time facilitating maritime freight with last mile e-bike deliveries that takes trucks off the roads."
Another up-and-coming eVTOL company flying at the showcase was Joby. Joby completed the exhibition flight of its eVTOL and the first-ever time the company has flown in an urban setting. The NYC flight followed days of preparation flights at the HHI Heliport in Kearny, New Jersey. Through the integration of eVTOL aircraft into the national airspace, air travelers can reduce their environmental footprint while reducing the impact of air transport on the local community through pollution and noise.RELATED STORY:Joby completes first-ever electric air taxi flight in New York City
In 2018 Volocopter conducted its inaugural U.S. flight in Las Vegas and has since flown in Oshkosh, the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Tampa and now in NYC. Volocopter anticipates the final certification of its eVTOL , the VoloCity, from EASA in 2024 The company is simultaneously working with the FAA on certification, originally submitted in 2020.
"A New York City flight has always been on Volocopter's mind when designing an eVTOL that could be safe and quiet enough to fly its busy skies," Managing Director of Volcopter Christian Bauer said. "Our flight in NYC proves that we have everything required to make this emerging technology flourish in this city. This event was an amazing opportunity to showcase how electric air taxis can elevate the quality of life in a city that never sleeps. We are confident this will open doors to air taxi commercial operations in more cities in the U.S., and we look forward to flying again soon in the Big Apple. "