German eVTOL manufacturer Volocopter performed a flight of its X2 model during the Paris Air Forum.
The electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft flew for three minutes, covering 500 meters (1,640 feet) over the Le Bourget Airfield on June 21, 2021.
The aircraft reached a speed of 30 km/h and an altitude of 30 meters. The flight was performed without passengers.
The goal of such tests is to demonstrate preparation to launch the first autonomous eVTOL taxi service by 2024, in time for the 2024 Olympic Games, according to the manufacturer.
The company’s next milestone is to start a flight test campaign by September 2021. Pontoise airfield sandbox has been selected for this activity.
Volocopter has already secured European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Design Organization Approval (DOA) ‒ a big step in the certification process.
A maiden flight of the first edition of Velocopter’s drone taxi was conducted in 2011. An upgraded variant, the X2, has been in testing since 2013.
It is a two-seat, 18-motor fully-electric microlight helicopter intended to be used as urban transport.