Volocopter med lang sertifiseringstid - AIN

Drøssevis av så kalte autonomous innretninger for betalende passasjerer må også vente på regelverket for bruken. Det kan ta minst ti år å utvikle samtidig som den tekniske utviklingen aksellererer. En særdeles utfordrende oppgave. (Red.) Volocopter Certification Expected To Take Five Years

Dubai’s wish to put a fully certified and regulated air taxi into operation within the next five years came a step closer recently, when UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum was a passenger on the first official proof-of-concept flight of one of the world’s first autonomous air taxis (AAT) in September. However, progress in Dubai has stalled for now as further agreement is reached on how to progress toward certification. The AAT is expected to be certified by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and the UAE’s General Civil Aviation (GCAA) within five years. The AAT, supplied by Volocopter, is understood to have a maximum air speed of 100 km/h and a maximum flight time of approximately 30 minutes. Six near equilateral “triangles” with 18 mini-propellers power the AAT, which has a height of 2.15 m and diameter of 7.35 m. The aircraft will also be equipped with a full emergency parachute. The Volocopter 2X flies completely autonomously or can be controlled via joystick. Bruchsal, Germany-based Volocopter in July agreed a finance deal of more than €25 million ($29 million) with Daimler and German technology investor Lukasz Gadowski, among others, to fund further development. Dubai aims to carry out 25 percent of its passenger transportation with the help of autonomous means of transport by 2030, Volocopter said.