The first crewed public flight of the Volocopter 2X is set in stone
With a test pilot at the controls, the two-seater Volocopter 2X soared for about five minutes in its first ever manned test flight. Taking off from a vertiport built at the Fiumicino Aeroporti di Roma, the 2X flew at a speed of about 25 miles per hour and a height of around 131 feet.
In the public demonstration, the Volocopter 2X flew two times around a figure-eight route with its 18 fixed-pitch propellers, each built with an individual electric motor. According to the German aircraft manufacturer, the quiet and emissions-free 2X is developed with the intention for quick trips around cities and can travel up to 17 miles at 62 mph.
Christian Bauer, the chief commercial officer of Volocopter, stated that in less than a year, the company went from signing a partnership agreement to conducting flight tests at the airport. The launch of the advanced air mobility (AAM) testing vertiport in Italy was also a significant accomplishment. By 2024, the Fiumicino Aeroporti di Roma hopes to begin offering commercial service between the airport and Rome.
The Volocopter 2X test was also in collaboration with Volocopter’s joint-venture infrastructure provider UrbanV, along with Atlantia, a strategic transport holding firm.
“Today’s event represents a significant milestone in our path as pioneers in testing and implementing Advanced Air Mobility in Italy, and in playing our part in making urban transports increasingly sustainable and seamless,” said CEO of Aeroporti di Roma, Marco Troncone.
In addition, Volocopter aspires to build a working vertiport at the Pontoise-Cormeilles-en-Vexin airport south of Paris by the time the 2024 Paris Olympics rolls around.