Video: VoloCopter

http://www.avweb.com/videos/Video-VoloCopter-at-Aero-226145-1.html

Video: VoloCopter at Aero: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC9YWvKX0lY
By Paul Bertorelli

Fresh from its first manned flight, eVolo's Volocopter was on display at Aero
2106 in Friedrichshafen, Germany this week. AVweb got an update on this
intriguing program.
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http://www.volocopter.com/

English: http://www.volocopter.com/index.php/en/

Dawn of a revolution in urban mobility

The premiere of manned flights with the world’s first certified Multicopter,
e-volo’s Volocopter VC200, marks the beginning of a new era in urban mobility.
For the first time humans’ dream of personal flight as a daily routine becomes
attainable. As such it not only offers more widespread use in conventional
aircraft domains, but brings us another step closer to air taxi services and
entire transportation systems in the third dimension.

Jump in and take off
The Volocopter VC200 redefines the helicopter. Learning to pilot vertical
takeoff and landing now requires fewer costly and time consuming flying
lessons. Never before has flight been easier and more accessible.

The Volocopter combines the joy of flying with the highest levels of safety.
And not only that – thanks to its reduced mechanics it is low maintenance and
extremely easy to operate. The pilot merely has to command direction via a
joystick and the 2-seater, ultralight aircraft glides into the desired
position. In this process our comprehensive redundancy concept ensures a level
of safety that immediately compensates a failure of the drive units and
forgives a large number of flying errors.

Moreover, we have already developed the prototypes of the VC200 with
environmentally-friendly rechargeable battery technology.


Simply foolproof
Have you always cherished the dream of flying a helicopter? Have a demanding,
time consuming period of training and high costs been obstacles en-route to
this dream? You can now live out your dream with the Volocopter. This is
because simplicity is the key word in relation to its operation and technology
without neglecting safety.

Stalling, pitch adjustment, gliding angle, the components that are difficult to
master aeronautically are mastered through the operation of a simple joystick.
Well in excess of 100 microprocessors and a large number of different sensors
ensure it can take off, land and be flown in a relaxed manner and without any
worries. It is amazing! Flying becomes so easy as the aircraft automatically
compensates for turbulence.

Safety first
Errors cannot always be avoided.This also applies to flying. With this
knowledge we have developed a technology which offers an unparalleled level of
safety in the private aviation sector by means of redundancy. All
safety-relevant components are present multiple times, mutually monitor each
other and compensate for the malfunction of individual components. This means
there is no danger even if several motors cease functioning. You can safely
continue flying and land. In addition our arrangement of 18 rotors offers
considerable efficiency and safety advantages compared to other concepts.

Turbulence or dangerous maneuvers are no problem, the Volocopter immediately
stabilizes itself thanks to the automatic altitude control and without the
pilot’s intervention. Depend upon a system that forgives you for your mistakes.
You can even let go of the joystick when you wish to gaze at something in
wonderment, the Volocopter retains your altitude and position.

We have nevertheless included a full aircraft parachute for incorrigible
pessimists. You will then descend to the ground, very gently, still securely
seated in the aircraft, in an emergency.

http://www.volocopter.com/videos/Volocopter-Einsatzbereiche.mp4
The Volocopter can be operated with a pilot, using remote controls or
completely autonomously.
It allows the Volocopter to serve a broad range of purposes and solve many
unique problems:

- mobility concept for transporting people/mass transit
- point to point transportation of heavy loads
- autonomous farming of fields in the precision agriculture sector
- search and rescue applications as well as the improvement of the first aid
chain
- platform for physical measurement devices (geophysics, searches for raw
materials, mine detection)
- yacht tender
- pleasure rides for amusement, recreation or sightseeing e.g. fly a helicopter
for yourself in an amusement park
- shuttle service (e.g. air-taxi)
http://www.volocopter.com/videos/Volocopter-Visionen.mp4

FAQ: http://www.volocopter.com/index.php/en/kontakt-en/faq-en

Up to 4 motors can cease functioning, the Volocopter can then still always
be landed safely.

Much quieter than conventional helicopters.

nt
Volocopter Website
YouTube
Overview of the Volocopter
The system flies — the pilot controls

It is the declared development goal of the Karlsruhe-based e-vole GmbH to
construct the safest sports aircraft in the world. In addition the
ground-breaking, vertical takeoff aircraft, the Volocopter, is easy to fly and
emission-free. Thus in the case of the first manned, electrically operated
helicopter the mechanics have been reduced to a minimum by contrast with
conventional helicopters. The 2 seater ultralight aircraft is thus extremely
low-maintenance. An extensive redundancy concept for all the electronic
components also makes secure continued flying and secure landing possible even
if several motors fail. The Volocopter is solely piloted using a joystick. Thus
its handling is extremely easy by contrast with any other aircraft. The
Karlsruhe-based company achieves zero emissions through replaceable energy
sources such as rechargeable batteries. A serial hybrid solution is also
possible upon request.



Development plan – modular platform for manned and unmanned aircrafts

The revolutionary safety, control and propulsion system of the Volocopter will
serve as a platform for additional aircraft in the future. It is the perfect
platform both for vertical takeoff manned aircraft and also for heavy-duty
drones. The flight concept of the Volocopter facilitates piloted,
remote-controlled or even completely autonomous air operations. In this way the
most diverse applications purpose will become possible. The modular flight
systems can be developed in various size categories. In this case a purely
electric or hybrid form of propulsion can be used depending on your
requirements. In line with demand the product family will be systematically
extended by manned and unmanned systems in the coming years.



Safety

The key safety element with the Volocopter is the comprehensive redundancy
concept of its components. Thus all the safety-relevant systems are present
multiple times, mutually monitor each other and immediately rectify a potential
malfunction of a component by jointly assuming their tasks. Even in the event
of the malfunction of several motors the Volocopter can, for instance, still
continue flying and landing safely. The system safety check of all components
before the flight is performed automatically at the press of a button and
reports the operational readiness following a successful inspection. When
experiencing turbulence the pilot does not have to intervene as the situation
is automatically compensated for by the aircraft. In this process the system
reacts significantly more quickly than the pilot, i.e. in a fraction of a
second. Even if the pilot should lose his sense of direction for a moment, the
system still offers a solution. By pressing an emergency button the Volocopter
stops in midair, is stabilized and slowly glides to the ground. In addition,
the Volcopter is equipped with an overall rescue system in the form of a
parachute. Using it the entire aircraft securely descends to the ground in an
emergency.



Low maintenance

In the case of conventional helicopters the mechanics are very intricate due to
complicated drive and control mechanisms, the maintenance is extremely
cost-intensive as a result of this. However, in the case of the Volocopter it
is controlled without any mechanical parts meaning it is very low-maintenance.
The bearings of the electric motors and the rotors also run virtually without
any wear, their maintenance is consequently reduced to a minimum. Thus the
Volocopter is much more economical in terms of its consumption levels, its care
and servicing than a conventional helicopter.



Easy to fly

The control of an aircraft has until now required the great flying expertise of
the pilot to monitor and correct the flight altitude. By contrast flying a
vertical takeoff and landing Volocopter is very simple for the pilot as he
flies by himself due to the fact the sensor technology generates the flight
condition. This means the pilot stipulates the direction such as forwards, to
the right, to the left, up and down and the electronics create the altitude.
The adaptive altitude regulation then keeps the Volocopter in a stable position
in the air. Thus its handling is child’s play by contrast with any other
aircraft.

The pilot does not need to worry at all about the gliding angle, minimum
speeds, stalling, mixture control, pitch adjustment and many other things that
are so demanding in conventional flying, as he only specifies the direction. A
ring-shaped frame carries 18 electrical motors which ensure the necessary
uplift and serves to control the aircraft. Each one of them drives its own
rotor. The rotors generate the entire uplift and additionally ensure the
control of the aircraft through targeted changes in the rotational speed. In
this process no mechanics for the pitch are necessary on the rotors by contrast
with the conventional helicopter. The automatic position control and the
direction control is achieved using several independent board computers that
also mutually monitor one another, which separately control each motor’s speed
of rotation. An optional, additional propulsion drive can facilitate even
quicker flying speeds.



Green aviation

The new mobility trend is clearly moving towards environmental-friendly
technologies: beginning with the car, via the e-bike and extending to the
Volocopter. e-volo is the first company to develop a helicopter with an
electric drive. This is also considerably quieter and thus reduces the levels
of noise pollution. The Karlsruhe-based company achieves zero emissions through
replaceable energy sources such as rechargeable batteries. Whilst a
battery-powered flight duration of approx. 20 minutes can currently be
realized, this will become as much as an hour and more in the near future. The
2 seater Volcopters will be developed as serial hybrid electrical aircraft to
ensure flight times of several hours can now already be realized. To this end a
combustion engine will drive a generator which for its part provides the
battery and electrical motors with electricity. Other technologies that are in
the process of development, such as the high-performance fuel cells that are
suitable for the system, may also be considered as the source of power supply
in the future.


Der Volocopter:

is safe
flies like a helicopter
is extremely easy to fly
gets its own aviation class in Germany
is driven electrically
draws its energy from batteries or a serial hybrid
does not generate any noise pollution
is low-maintenance
causes extremely low operating costs
flies up to a speed of 100 kph
weighs 450 kg with passengers
is a 2 seater aircraft
serves as a platform for additional manned and unmanned aircraft

Technical description of the Volocopter

The Volocopter is made of a light-weight, fiber composite material. In addition
to cruise flights, it can also take-off and land vertically as well as hover in
the air. The VC200 Volocopter runs on all-electric motors. The electric motors
of its 18 rotors are powered by nine independent batteries. When in a floating
state and with a 450 kg take-off weight, the VC200 requires about 45kW,
depending on the air pressure / temperature. Its redundancy concept ensures
stability, even if parts of the system were to fail. This principle is used in
all system components that are necessary for safe flights. The necessary thrust
required to provide buoyancy is achieved through several independently driven
rotors, each with two fixed blades. Unlike a helicopter, the blade angle on the
VC200 cannot be adjusted. The amount of thrust produced depends solely on the
rotation speed of the different rotors.

Appropriate combination of the torques around the axis (roll and pitch), which
are produced by the speed differences of the different rotors and that are
perpendicular to the axis (yaw), as well as alterations in the total thrust
produced by all the rotors enable the Volocopter to maneuver in all three
rotational degrees of freedom (pitch, roll, and yaw), whereas the fixed setup
of the rotors allows for translational movement (vertical, “up/down”). In
combination with the position angle, the Volocopter is able to make flight
movements in all six rotational and translational degrees of freedom as well as
indirect horizontal movements (“forwards/backwards” and
“rightwards/leftwards”).

Although the Volocopter initially exhibits what would seem to be unstable
flight characteristics due to its relatively high number of rotors that have a
fixed blade angle, its multi-redundant flight control system ensures precise
altitude control and positioning stability. It is actually much more stable
than conventional aircraft. It adheres to the pilot’s specifications and
compensates for external effects independently. This makes flying it much
easier, and the pilot can control the Volocopter safely, even in adverse
environmental conditions.

The flight control system comprises of several completely independent units.
Each flight control unit contains a complete set of positioning sensors that
consist of pressure gauges, gyroscopes, accelerometers, and magnetometers for
all three spatial axes. Theoretically, each of the flight control units can
control the VC200 independently. The Volocopter is operated with one hand using
a joystick. The pilot intuitively controls all flight axes through rotational
movements of the joystick’s axis. Rising and falling commands are given through
an altitude control thumb button. In order to land, the pilot only needs to
press and hold the button down until the Volocopter is on the ground. Once it
nears the ground, the control system automatically slows down the Volocopter to
ensure a gentle landing.

On Thursday, April 28, 2016 at 4:08:54 PM UTC-4, Larry Dighera wrote:
http://www.avweb.com/videos/Video-VoloCopter-at-Aero-226145-1.html

Video: VoloCopter at Aero: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC9YWvKX0lY
By Paul Bertorelli

Fresh from its first manned flight, eVolo's Volocopter was on display at Aero
2106 in Friedrichshafen, Germany this week. AVweb got an update on this
intriguing program.
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Interesting, but don't let it get near a ball of loose twine.

Now, while not electric... the Pal-V gets my vote:

http://pal-v.com/

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