UAM - Volocopter ønsker å fly i USA - AIN

 

January 15, 2021

Volocopter Moves To Enter the U.S. eVTOL Air Taxi Market

Volocopter today went public with its plans to introduce air taxi operations with its eVTOL aircraft into the U.S. market, saying the FAA on December 22 accepted its application to concurrently validate the EASA type certification it expects to secure in the next two or three years.

According to Volocopter, the U.S. agency has indicated a willingness to consider an alternative basis for certification to the new Special Condition VTOL (SC-VTOL) certification process now being finalized by EASA. This would be the new 14 CFR 21.17(b) special class, which is intended for aircraft that don’t fit the amended versions of existing Part 23 rules for eVTOL designs with conventional takeoff capability or Part 27 for rotorcraft.

Later this year, EASA is expected to confirm means of compliance for its new Special Condition VTOL certification process, and Volocopter is pursuing this approval for its two-seat, all-electric VoloCity aircraft. Volocopter already holds EASA Design Organization Approval, giving it the required license to develop and build certified aircraft.

Volocopter sees potential to launch intra-city air taxi services in major metropolitan areas such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Initially, the VoloCity would fly with a pilot, meaning only one passenger seat would be available, but the aircraft is intended for autonomous operations.