by Michael Willoughby
Airbus has released video of its CityAirbus demonstrator helicopter in flight.
The fully electric VTOL started untethered flight testing in Donauwörth at the end of last year, the company said via LinkedIn.
Airbus carried out the first, tethered flight of the 2.2 tonne electrically powered urban air mobility demonstrator in May 2019.
CityAirbus is an electrically-powered vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air vehicle demonstrator, capable of carrying up to four passengers. It will initially be operated by a pilot for certification and market entry purposes.
In time, CityAirbus is intended to be fully autonomous and self-piloted, once regulations are in place, the company says.
Development of the craft takes place Airbus Helicopters’ Donauwörth facility for the overall system and Ottobrunn/Munich for the electrical propulsion.
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