Paris, France, 23 September 2022 – M3 Programs, air visitors administration (ATM) and unmanned aerial techniques (UAS) operator, gentle and electrical plane producer, Pipistrel, and Volocopter, the pioneer of city air mobility (UAM), have accomplished their first joint flight check marketing campaign in France at Pontoise airfield. The week-long flight exams simulated three completely different avoidance manoeuvres in real-world conditions the place unexpected circumstances happen, akin to an entire airport or vertiport closure, an unavailable last strategy and takeoff (FATO) space, and visitors deconfliction. This joint marketing campaign between the three firms and the French companions, Groupe ADP and its wholly-owned subsidiary Hologarde, aimed to realize clean interplay inside and between the brand new decrease airspace’s unmanned visitors administration (UTM) and customary civil aviation ATM techniques.
The aviation {industry} is experiencing an innovation upsurge pushed by expertise and societal strain for brand spanking new types of aviation centered on sustainable, digital, and autonomous air mobility. The ensuing options that cater to this {industry} shift will generate a major improve in visitors density within the aforementioned decrease airspace. Since current ATM techniques will not be designed to deal with such volumes or digitalization, harmonizing current and new visitors administration techniques for brand-new plane integration will guarantee environment friendly large-scale operations. This consists of business, normal, and drone plane for cargo and passenger flights, each crewed and uncrewed.
The CORUS-XUAM challenge, funded by the European Union’s initiative Single European Sky ATM Analysis (SESAR) Joint Enterprise, focuses on fixing the problem of standard and new visitors administration system integration and consists of 19 companions and 11 associated third events. M3 Programs, Pipistrel, and Volocopter all accomplished particular person flight check campaigns previous to this occasion in an effort to carry their plane in keeping with the U-space providers. The CORUS-XUAM flight check carried out at Pontoise airfield close to Paris is the third of a number of flight exams to simulate quite a lot of real-world eventualities that reveal how UTM and ATM intersect with a number of plane sorts. Furthermore, the CORUS-XUAM challenge will proceed to proactively check and create a secure and managed decrease airspace beneath the European Union’s bold Single European Sky (SES) initiative all through 2022.
The profitable flight exams at Pontoise airfield have been carried out with M3 System’s BOREAL remotely piloted plane system, Pipistrel’s crewed Velis Electro, the one type-certified electrical plane in business service on this planet, and Volocopter’s full-scale, remotely piloted 2X prototype. Pipistrel makes use of the standard ATM tower and system whereas Volocopter and M3 Programs use the UTM system. The next three flight eventualities have been examined:
- The surprising occupancy of a FATO and plane diversion resulting from precedence touchdown of one other plane – Pipistrel and Volocopter plane.
- The diversion of a flight path because of the closure of an airport or vertiport – M3 Programs.
- The diversion of a flight path with two plane flying the identical path – M3 Programs and Volocopter plane.
“M3 Programs is blissful to be a part of this large-scale European challenge,” says Marc Pollina, M3 Programs CEO. “These profitable exams affirm that our BOREAL UAS shall be an enabler for future XUAM operations in conditions the place plane want to soundly divert paths to a different vertiport resulting from an unexpected closure or one other plane within the air. By offering re-routing demonstrations and tactical communications with U-Area service suppliers, M3 Programs can help future coordination between AAM and airport operators.”
“Because the producer of the one type-certified electrical plane in business service on this planet, Pipistrel is proud to participate in technical initiatives that form the imaginative and prescient of air mobility and make progress in a significant manner,” mentioned Gabriel Massey, Pipistrel’s President and Managing Director. “The CORUS challenge and Paris demonstrations clearly present how UAM automobiles will be capable to fly safely in common airspace post-2030 and can assist to unlock new lower-noise and lower-emission air passenger and air cargo providers.”
“Volocopter is happy to have accomplished one other profitable flight check inside the SESAR CORUS-XUAM challenge. Again in 2019, once we first examined the 2X ATM integration at Helsinki airport, we have been actively concerned within the improvement of the European U-Area Idea of Operations,” mentioned Oliver Reinhardt, Volocopter’s Chief Threat and Certification Officer (CRCO). “Constructing an environment friendly ecosystem round UAM is Volocopter’s mission, and connecting ATM/UTM integration with our digital platform, VoloIQ, is poised to be an integral a part of bringing UAM to megacities worldwide. I’m wanting ahead to the subsequent CORUS-XUAM check flights later this 12 months in Germany and what we are able to obtain there.”
This challenge has obtained funding from the SESAR Joint Enterprise beneath the European Union’s Horizon 2020 analysis and innovation program beneath grant settlement No. 101017682.
About M3 Programs
M3 Programs has been created from engineering actions within the Satellite tv for pc Radio Navigation (GNSS – World Navigation Satellite tv for pc Programs) area and from consulting actions in ATM (Air Visitors Administration) and Unmanned Plane System Visitors Administration (UTM) sector. Acknowledged at European degree because of sturdy involvement within the Galileo sign definition via research contracts R&D help actions of the French house Company (CNES) and plenty of implications in European Fee, European Area Company (ESA) and European Union Company for the Area Programme (EUSPA), goal domains of the group are mobility, positioning, knowledge assortment and processing, and surveying, overlaying the aerial, terrestrial and maritime sectors. The corporate has structured its provide in 4 segments: – Consulting and Software – Radio Navigation Engineering and Sign Processing – Testing & Measurement – Drones and embedded computer systems.
The corporate affords (through its sister firm BOREAL) the BOREAL Remotely Piloted Plane System for various civilian purposes. Its modularity, compact measurement, 8-hour autonomy and nice vary, make it a great drone for extremely demanding missions, akin to reconnaissance, surveillance, and knowledge assortment. www.boreal-uas.com, www.m3systems.eu.
About Pipistrel
Based in 1989, Pipistrel is an award-winning gentle plane producer and chief in analysis and improvement of electrical propulsion. Pipistrel produces electrical and combustion fashions for the final aviation, protection and superior air mobility sectors. Pipistrel’s Velis Electro grew to become the world’s first, and at present solely, electrical plane to obtain full type-certification from the European Union Aviation Security Company (EASA) in 2020 and earned UK CAA kind certification in 2022.
Pipistrel’s pioneering work has been acknowledged via awards from NASA, IDC, and different organizations. The corporate, which affords a household of gliders and light-weight plane with each electrical and combustion engines, has delivered greater than 2,500 gentle plane worldwide since its founding and moreover has each hybrid and electrical propulsion fashions beneath improvement. Pipistrel consists of the next firms: PIPISTREL d.o.o., PIPISTREL VERTICAL SOLUTIONS d.o.o and PIPISTREL ITALIA SRL. For extra data, go to: www.pipistrel-aircraft.com.
About Textron Inc.
Pipistrel’s guardian firm, Textron Inc., is a multi-industry firm that leverages its world community of plane, protection, industrial and finance companies to supply clients with modern options and providers. Textron is thought around the globe for its highly effective manufacturers akin to Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, and Textron Programs. For extra data, go to: www.textron.com.
About Volocopter
Volocopter brings city air mobility (UAM) to megacities worldwide. We intention to enhance the standard of life for folks in cities by providing a incredible new mode of transportation. For that, we create sustainable and scalable UAM ecosystems with companions in infrastructure and operations.
Volocopter’s household of eVTOL plane will provide passengers (VoloCity and VoloConnect) and items (VoloDrone) swift, safe, and emission-free connections to their locations, supported by VoloIQ, the UAM ecosystem’s software program platform that serves as its digital spine for secure and environment friendly operations.
As a pioneer within the UAM {industry}, Volocopter will launch business providers inside the subsequent few years. Based in 2011, the corporate employs greater than 500 folks in Germany and Singapore, has accomplished over 1,000 profitable private and non-private check flights, and raised $579 million in fairness from buyers, together with Geely, WP Funding, Mercedes-Benz Group, Intel Capital, and BlackRock. www.volocopter.com