On November 13, 2023 Volocopter completed its first flight test at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport (DMH) in New York City (NYC) with its crewed Volocopter 2X.
Hosted by the Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the Volocopter 2X participated in the world’s largest and first public event showcasing multiple electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in a city.
Volocopter has now successfully and safely conducted flights in the heart of two of the busiest metropolitan hubs of the world, NYC and Singapore. The success of this flight is an affirmation of the potential to bring safe, quiet, and sustainable urban air mobility (UAM) to megacities worldwide.
It is envisaged that vehicles like this could one day act as short-distance ‘air taxis’ flying passengers from international airports such as New York’s JFK, into the city centre – the island of Manhattan.
With the iconic Lower Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge in the background, the Volocopter 2X electric air taxi flew in a stable, quiet, and smooth manner, weathering East River conditions. Volocopter’s multicopter design is particularly suited for short- to mid-range urban missions, producing zero emissions in flight and very little noise pollution that is hardly audible in a busy metropolis like NYC.
As part of the public showcase, the City of New York outlined a new vision for the future of the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, seeking to reduce emissions, noise pollution, and improve the quality of life for residents. It aims to reshape heliports such as DMH to accommodate eVTOL aircraft so that the city can diversify its mobility options to reduce congestion, while still meeting the transport needs of one of the busiest cities in the world. DMH is a well-known transport hub for travelers in need of an efficient ride to neighboring airports or for touristic flights to view the NYC skyline.
“The Adams Administration has been a leader in driving technology innovation and economic growth while simultaneously improving quality of life,” says Andrew Kimball, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) president and CEO. “EDC’s new strategy for the Downtown Manhattan Heliport reflects these priorities while making it an industry leader in the embrace of eVTOLS – a quieter and greener helicopter alternative – while at the same time facilitating maritime freight with last mile e-bike deliveries that takes trucks off the roads.”
“A New York City flight has always been on Volocopter’s mind when designing an eVTOL that could be safe and quiet enough to fly its busy skies,” says Christian Bauer MD of Volocopter. “Our flight in NYC proves that we have everything required to make this emerging technology flourish in this city. This event was an amazing opportunity to showcase how electric air taxis can elevate the quality of life in a city that never sleeps. We are confident this will open doors to air taxi commercial operations in more cities in the US, and we look forward to flying again soon in the Big Apple.”
In 2018, Volocopter conducted its maiden U.S. flight in Las Vegas. Since then, it has flown in Oshkosh, the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Tampa, and now in NYC. Volocopter expects to receive a final certification of its commercial eVTOL aircraft, the VoloCity, from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2024. The company is also in the concurrent validation process with the FAA, which was submitted in 2020, and has been working with both authorities to bring urban air mobility to life.
