Volocopter have completed the first crewed eVTOL test flights in Italian airspace in partnership with Aeroporti di Roma (ADR), Atlantia and UrbanV. hese tests were part of a mobility ecosystem setup at Fiumicino’s Leonardo da Vinci International Airport, in Rome.
The flight carried out on the 6th of October is the first step towards the start of commercial operations with electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles in Rome, scheduled to begin in 2024, between the airport and the city centre.
Volocopter’s test pilot aboard the electric Volocopter 2X flew 40 km/h for 5 minutes at 40 meters height. During flight the aircraft made a figure “8” flight path in front of onlookers after attaining all the necessary clearances from the Italian authorities.
The vertiport is developed in compliance with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) “Prototype Technical Specifications for the Design of VFR Vertiports for Operation with Manned VTOL-Capable Aircraft Certified in the Enhanced Category”. It is designed to host various types of tests for both flight and ground operations with an electric system devised to allow testing of various eVTOL charging technologies.
The infrastructure, occupying an area of about 5,500 square meters, has been sized to ensure compatibility with the main eVTOLs that will be certified in the coming years, including a parking area; a covered hangar measuring 20 x 20 x 6 meters; various rooms, including an office, a warehouse, and an area for battery charging.
“We’ve come from a signed partnership agreement and event series kickoff to a flight test at an operational airport in a little less than a year. With that, we are bringing together all the key stakeholders and regulators to witness this mobility service and technology with their own eyes.”
Christian Bauer, CCO of Volocopter.