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AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COM // MARCH 7
// AIR TAXI FIRMS MAKING
DEVELOPMENT PROGRESS
German air taxi developers are
on schedule to launch the first
vehicle in just two years.
Volocopter first announced it
is working towards a 2022 entry
into service for its aircraft after a
funding round in September last
year. The company was also
recently certified as a Design
Organisation by EASA.
The fourth generation of the
company’s electrical take-off and
landing (eVTOL) aircraft, the
VoloCity, was revealed last
August. The VoloCity can carry
two passengers up to 35km
(22 miles) and has a top speed of
110km/h (68mph).
Volocopter is working with
several cities looking at
launching an air taxi service,
including Singapore.
Meanwhile Munich, Germanybased
Lilium is on schedule for
its 2025 launch for its eVTOL. The
Lilium Jet is a five-seater, allelectric
aircraft with a range of
300km which achieved speeds in
excess of 100km/h (62mph)
during its maiden flight last year.
Munich, Germany
// C919 FLIGHT
TESTING PROGRESSES
Chinese aircraft-maker Comac is
pressing ahead with flight testing
of the C919 despite the threat
from the Coronavirus.
The prototype aircraft,
designated AC106 took off from
Shanghai Pudong International
Airport at 11:08 and landed at
Dongying Shengli Airport at 13:07
after a flight of one hour and 59
minutes on February 23.
AC106 is mainly
undertaking flight tests
related to the
verification of cabin,
lighting and external
noise at test bases
such as Dongying.
Comac is using six aircraft
for flight testing and certification
purposes and has scheduled
4,200 flight hours for completion
of more than 700 test items
ahead of the Civil Aviation
Administration of China’s planned
certification of the C919 in 2021.
The C919 is seen as China’s
first aircraft to compete directly
with Boeing and Airbus aircraft.
Shanghai, China
// ‘WORLD’S FIRST’
AUTONOMOUS AIR TAXI TRIAL
The air taxi development firm
backed by Google co-founder
Larry Page is set to run
passenger trials of its
autonomous 2-seater electric
aircraft Cora in New Zealand.
The airspace integration trial
of Urban Air Mobility company
Wisk’s Cora aircraft has been
agreed with the New Zealand
Government and will take place
in Canterbury in central-eastern
South Island.
Cora is a two-seater aircraft
with a top speed of 110mph
(180km/h) and a range of 62
miles (100km). It operates at
altitudes between 500ft and
3000ft above ground level.
Planning for the trial in
Canterbury is underway and it
will commence after Cora’s
certification by the New Zealand
Civil Aviation Authority.
Canterbury, New Zealand
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