Volocopter Conducts First eVTOL Flight at the Palace of Versailles
Volocopter, a leader in sustainable air mobility, has successfully completed the world’s first electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) flight test at the World Heritage site of the Palace of Versailles.
This remarkable flight signifies the end of this summer’s extensive operational validation test campaign at the Aerodrome of Saint-Cyr-l’Ecole and Versailles. Volocopter and its associates aim to revisit Paris later this year to pilot our eVTOL aircraft over central Paris.
At the break of dawn in Versailles, the Volocopter aircraft ascended against the historic panorama of the Grand Trianon and its gardens. This momentous flight was commemorated with the company’s enduring Parisian collaborators, Groupe ADP and the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC), who tirelessly coordinated the event. The flight’s success serves as a profound endorsement of confidence in the aircraft’s safety and the Volocopter brand by the French and European aviation authorities, partners, and spectators of our numerous global flights.
“I am elated with the dedication and professionalism of the Volocopter team who spent months to get where we are today. Every new location and flight take tremendous effort from us, our partners, and authorities. The sustainable air mobility community is still at the start line, but today’s flight in this exceptional environment was the perfect closing ceremony to our summer, as we look forward to returning to Paris very soon.” Dirk Hoke – CEO Volocopter
Recently, Volocopter successfully carried out a crewed test flight at the Aerodrome of Saint-Cyr-l’École, marking the first bespoke commercial vertiport for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) within Volocopter’s approved flight routes in Paris. This flight marks the beginning of the eVTOL operational validation phase, a pivotal step towards normalizing electric flights in urban areas and beyond. The start of this phase is of great importance to the Innovative Air Mobility (IAM) industry, as it will provide valuable insights into the integration of eVTOLs within vertiports and the airspace of major cities globally.
The manned Volocopter aircraft has commenced flights from the newly inaugurated vertiport at the Aerodrome of Saint-Cyr-l’École, constructed by Groupe ADP, a long-term Parisian collaborator. This flight marks the start of the operational validation phase, a series of pre-commercial tests aimed at advancing the eVTOL infrastructure in France.
The operations encompass flight maneuvers to and from the vertiport, ground handling, communication with air traffic control, and battery charging and management at vertiports. Conducting validation testing at a bespoke and route-approved eVTOL location in Saint-Cyr-l’École will afford Volocopter a distinct advantage in collecting first-hand data to enhance its aircraft operations.
This accomplishment stems from more than three years of joint efforts by Volocopter and Groupe ADP, which have culminated in numerous regulatory approvals for infrastructure and aircraft. Volocopter’s involvement as an advisory pioneer in the European eVTOL certification program, airspace operations, and infrastructure design has significantly influenced the development of the St. Cyr vertiport, which Groupe ADP has successfully realized.
“Everyone at Volocopter is incredibly proud of how far the company has come and what it means to fly today at Saint-Cyr-l’École. City launches take time to establish a foothold on the ground, and through open communication and dedication, Volocopter has become an embodiment of trust, from our partners, Europe’s leading aviation authorities, and Paris which has become one of the most advanced IAM networks in the world.” Looking ahead, Hoke continues, “we still aspire to fly at the Austerlitz vertiport later this year. Beyond that, we concentrate on the Type Certification of the VoloCity and will start the test phase of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Germany together with our partner ADAC Luftrettung in 2025.” – Dirk Hoke – CEO Volocopter
“We achieved our objective to fly in Ile-de-France during this exceptional summer. We also met the goal to deliver the first vertiport network, with the launch of the one in Saint-Cyr L’Ecole, which completes our network in Ile-de-France (alongside Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Le Bourget, Paris-Issy les Moulineaux, Pontoise). For now, test flights are carried out without passengers, but once the aircraft is certified, we will test emergency medical flights with AP-HP (Ile-de-France University Hospital Centre). Innovation in the field of aeronautics needs time to remove obstacles regarding safety, but we remain convinced that new carbon-free air mobilities around eVTOLs will offer helpful services that go way beyond the transportation of passenger.” – Edward Arkwright – Groupe ADP Deputy CEO
