Volocopter air taxi tested by German Aerospace Center
The tests carried out on the VoloCity electric vertical-take-off-and-landing aircraft (VTOL) by DLR were initiated on behalf of its makers Volocopter to further improve the safety and efficiency of the aircraft. Volocopter says its air taxi is an aircraft designed to transport people or goods over short distances in urban areas, combining the advantages of a helicopter with the efficiency and environmental benefits of electric propulsion.
The special feature of the VoloCity model tested is that 18 electric motors are arranged in a circular elastic ring. “This distinctive feature poses a major challenge for the taxi’s aeroelastic vibration behaviour,” explains Keith Soal, from the DLR Institute of Aeroelasticity in Göttingen, Germany. The characteristic behaviour of the structure was determined during the test.
“The ground vibration test has determined the dynamic properties of the VoloCity and confirmed the model predictions – an important milestone that brings us closer to certification,” said Hugo Nunes, Aircraft Dynamics Manager at Volocopter.
The tests ran for a week at Volocopter’s headquarters in Bruchsal. The electric flying taxi was suspended from rubber ropes so that 210 acceleration sensors could then provide measurement data that corresponded to the behaviour of the structure in flight. The DLR scientists made the values obtained available to the Volocopter team so that they could further improve the properties of the VoloCity based on this data. The test is an essential building block for the flight certification of the VoloCity.
Such vibration tests are important to identify potential problems with vibrations and oscillations at an early stage and to ensure that the aircraft meets safety and performance requirements.
Earlier this year, Volocopter received an extension to its Production Organisation Approval from the German Federal Aviation Authority (LBA), which will enable series production of the VoloCity.
Volocopter wanted to offer commercial operations for the first time during the Olympic Games in Paris but was thwarted by objections to the public facilities that would only suit a small number of wealthy customers. The Volocopter that was eventually able to take off for a demonstration flight near Paris during the Games was not the VoloCity but the older 2X model.
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