The first manned flight of the passenger multicopter Volocopter VC200 took place

The prototype of the passenger multicopter Volocopter VC200 from the German company e-volo on March 30 made the first manned flight at an airfield in southern Germany. The creators are positioning the VC200 as a personal air transport, which is easy to manage even for those who do not have a pilot's license.

The device has 18 rotors, there is room for two people in the cabin. The control is performed by a joystick, and the battery is powered by the copter. The case of the device is made of carbon fiber. The maximum speed is 100 km / h, take-off weight - 450 kg.
')
Developed VC2000 since 2011. The early prototype was a frame with motors and screws, to which a fitball was attached for cushioning. Four years later, it was already almost ready multikopter . Permission to fly from the German unit received in February 2016. Prior to this, all tests were held in a hangar and with a remote control.



One of the founders of the company, who made the first flight, notes the excellent stability of the device, the absence of vibrations and ease of control. Reliability and simplicity are provided by a computer system that processes commands from a joystick and is capable of transferring the failure of one or several screws without damage.

The program of testing manned flights will take place in three stages - to begin with, the device will be checked at speeds up to 25 km / h at a low altitude, then - 50 km / h at an average, and then a maximum speed of 100 km / h at a high altitude awaits it.

Technical support was provided by the UAV company Ascending Technologies, recently acquired by Intel. She was in charge of control, engine electronics and other key points in flight technology.



The founders of e-volo are optimistic and already after 2 years they plan to receive certificates and start mass production of the VC200. The first application is air taxi. It is assumed that for the beginning, the vehicles will transport passengers along predetermined routes, for example, from the airport to the city.

In the future, e-volo dream that transport, like the VC200, will be available to all as a replacement for cars. The remote control Volocopter behaved well when simulating the failure of various systems, from some batteries to several screws, and is able to move almost autonomously. But while the rules for automatic aircraft passenger destination does not exist yet - this is a relatively distant future business.

Among the competitors e-volo, trying to make a flying passenger transport, flying cars Terrafugia and AeroMobil . In addition, the development strategy of the Russian car industry until 2020, among other things, mentioned the development of a flying car.