Volocopter plans to bring a larger, longer-range eVTOL aircraft into operation by 2026 to serve markets beyond those addressed by its VoloCity model, the company announced yesterday during an EBACE Connect media conference. The all-electric four-seat VoloConnect will have a range of up to 60 miles and a cruise speed of 110 mph, rising to a top speed of around 155 mph.
Unveiling the new lift-and-push concept, the German company said its engineering team, led by chief engineer Sebastian Mores, has been working on the design for more than two years and has filed several patents for the technology used. The aircraft features a wing connected to a V-shaped tail by a pair of parallel beams supporting six sets of electric motors and rotors. To the rear of the fuselage, there is a pair of ducted fans to support cruise flight.
Like the two-seat VoloCity, Volocopter intends to certify the VoloConnect under EASA’s new Special Conditions-VTOL rules. The VoloCity is limited to a range of just 22 miles and a speed of 60 mph. The company is also developing an autonomous freight-carrying version called the VoloDrone, which will have the same performance in terms of range and payload. All three models will feature batteries that can be quickly swapped between flights, but the company has yet to demonstrate this capability.
Business aviation’s push for sustainability and carbon neutrality has entered the cabin as the interiors of aircraft from turboprops to executive airliners are going green. And OEMs, completion and refurbishment centers, and interior components providers are all getting onboard. Were EBACE held in-person this week, these efforts would doubtless be center stage, as the Continent’s aviation community has embraced the goal of achieving net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
“Supply chains are taking sustainability very seriously—that’s the big turning point,” said Daron Dryer, CEO of Comlux Completion, the VIP cabin-outfitting division of Switzerland’s Comlux Group.
“Today, action on sustainability is really an important competitive criterion,” said F/List director of research & development Domnanich Patrick. “Not only the end customers, but also the OEMs are demanding verifiable sustainability from suppliers and partners.”
Indeed, Gulfstream Aerospace mandates “environmentally conscious business practices” in its suppliers’ code of conduct, complementing the airframer’s extensive internal sustainability efforts, said company interior-design director Tray Crow. Sustainable materials and processes are found throughout Gulftream’s cabins.
Textron Aviation’s Beechcraft and Cessna aircraft also have increasingly sustainable cabins. Woods are sourced solely by selective cutting in carefully managed forests and leveraging surplus inventory “to help reduce our [environmental] footprint,” a Textron spokeswoman said.
Brazil’s Embraer Executive Aircraft is aiming for “a 100 percent sustainable luxury interior,” a company representative told AIN.
While Airbus Corporate Helicopters (ACH) had to navigate the global pandemic in 2020, the company managed to “maintain a good level of bookings” by netting 62 orders for the year, which is down by about 10 percent from the previous two years, said Frederic Lemos, the head of ACH. Even with the softened demand, this means “we’ve been grabbing market share from the competition,” added Lemos, who reviewed the company’s business activities on the eve of EBACE Connect.
While the pandemic has prevented many face-to-face meetings with customers because of travel restrictions, the personal and business aviation sector “has demonstrated a great resilience.” With 28 Airbus Helicopters customer centers around the world, “we’ve been able to maintain a certain level of proximity with our customers and still continue to accompany those wanting to acquire a helicopter.”
Lemos noted that the company has developed a 70 percent share in the yachting market. Demand in that market should remain robust, he added, as 78 yacht projects with helidecks are in the pipeline. Lemos also briefly reviewed the ACH160 program, whose FAA type certification has been hampered by Covid. “It’s been even more difficult because of these travel restrictions to be able to exchange and progress and make the necessary flight tests,” he said.
EBAA Chief Highlights SAF, Panedemic as Top Issues
Though Covid-19 is still a concern, EBAA secretary-general Athar Husain Khan is very focused on what he sees as the business aviation community's next biggest hurdle in Europe and elsewhere—the environment. It is no secret that had EBACE taken place this year, sustainability would have been a key focal point of the Geneva show, with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) among the most immediate paths to cut carbon emissions.
“The entire business aviation value chain in Europe takes sustainability very seriously and the sector has been working to reduce its environmental impact in several ways for years,” Husain Khan told AIN. “We recently presented our strategic plan for advancing the production, availability, and use of SAF in the region and co-hosted the first-ever European Business Aviation SAF Summit.”
That summit, he added, “saw a ridiculous turnout” with almost 1,100 registrations. “This proves how deeply committed our members, operators, and FBOs alike are to carbon-neutral growth.”
As for the pandemic, he said business aviation was able to highlight its ability to serve as a safe travel alternative. “In addition, the Covid-19 crisis has put the spotlight on business aviation’s humanitarian component.”
While sustainability and post-Covid recovery rank on top of the list, they are followed by three topics that were on the agenda before the pandemic: correcting the perception of business aviation as a luxury; access to infrastructure; and advocating for regulation that recognizes the needs and characteristics of business aviation.
Stuttgart, Germany-based DC Aviation has joined the European Business Aviation Association’s (EBAA) peer-networking Ambassador program. The program allows industry leaders to participate in closed workshops and forums to address pressing issues and opportunities for business aviation.
“It is extremely encouraging to see that several leading business aviation companies have joined together to make an additional commitment to EBAA and the industry,” said EBAA secretary-general Athar Husain Khan. “We look forward to working closely with our Ambassadors towards improving the industry and society.”
Complementing the initiative, the newly launched virtual platform will share stories about EBAA Ambassadors, celebrate their achievements, and allow space for discourse on making a change for the better. So far, 15 companies have joined the program, including leading OEMs, trip planners, operators, and service and maintenance companies.
“DC Aviation has been a supporter of EBAA’s work for many years,” said DC Aviation CEO Michael Kuhn. “We are fully aligned with their goals and are extremely happy to take our support to the next level by becoming an EBAA Ambassador. Being an ambassador allows us to show our commitment to the industry and gives us a platform to showcase such projects as the efficient [lighting] upgrade in the hangar in Stuttgart, the Covid spectrometer, and Covid-19 testing at our facility in Dubai.”
AINalerts News Tips/Feedback: News tips may be sent anonymously, but feedback must include name and contact info (we will withhold name on request). We reserve the right to edit correspondence for length, clarity and grammar. Send feedback or news tips to AINalerts editor Chad Trautvetter.
AIN Alerts is a publication of The Convention News Company, Inc., 214 Franklin Avenue, Midland Park, New Jersey. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.
