CityAirbus Urban Air Mobility Vehicle Completes First Flight

May 6, 2019

William Kucinski

(Image courtesy Bruno Even, CEO Airbus Helicopters via Twitter)

Airbus SE ’s (Airbus’) “CityAirbus” electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) urban air mobility (UAM) vehicle successfully completed its first flight. The brief tethered flight occurred at Airbus’ flight test facility in Donauwörth, Germany on May.

The CityAirbus, designed for point-to-point transportation, uses four ducted fans to generate lift and transport up to four passengers. According to Airbus, the CityAirbus UAM vehicle – or “air taxi” – will initially be operated by a pilot for certification and market entry purposes; however, the aircraft is designed for fully autonomous flight once regulations are established.

William Kucinski is content editor at SAE International, Aerospace Products Group in Warrendale, Pa. Previously, he worked as a writer at the NASA Safety Center in Cleveland, Ohio and was responsible for writing the agency’s System Failure Case Studies. His interests include literally anything that has to do with space, past and present military aircraft, and propulsion technology.

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