AssetID: 54978200
Headline: RAW VIDEO: The Electric Air Taxi That Could Replace Your Next Uber: eCopter Completes First Untethered Flights In Austria
Caption: An Austrian start-up has taken a major leap towards bringing flying taxis to the skies after completing its first untethered test flights of its modular eCopter. The trials, carried out by FlyNow Aviation at a newly secured test site in Eastern Austria in early June, mark a turning point for the company’s plans to launch affordable, clean and quiet urban air mobility by the end of the decade. Since its founding in 2019, FlyNow has been on a mission to develop a family of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft designed to ease traffic congestion, slash emissions, and get people and goods across cities faster than cars stuck in rush-hour gridlock. FlyNow’s early testing was restricted to tethered flights at Salzburg Airport due to strict safety regulations, allowing the team to validate systems and train its flight control computer without going fully airborne. Now, the company says it’s ready to spread its rotor blades. "Every milestone brings us closer to making urban air mobility a reality for everyone," said co-founder and COO Yvonne Winter. "Many didn’t take our tethered flights seriously, but seeing is believing. With this free flight, we’ve shown that FlyNow is ready to lift urban mobility off the ground." The eCopter’s patented counter-rotating rotor system keeps noise down to just 55 dB(A) at 150m altitude — about the same as a dishwasher — while consuming only 30 kWh per 100 km. FlyNow claims production costs are up to ten times lower than competing air taxi designs, meaning a trip could be priced on par with a normal taxi fare. The aircraft will come in one- and two-seater passenger models, a cargo version capable of carrying a 200 kg load, and even specialist firefighting and rescue variants. The untethered flights are helping FlyNow collect real-world data to fine-tune stability, safety, and propulsion systems as it works towards its next certification target, SAIL IV, which will enable commercial cargo services. If all goes to plan, the company aims to launch cargo flights in 2027, racking up over a million kilometres in operation before introducing passenger services. Winter believes the technology will be part of a global shift: "Advanced Air Mobility is poised to become a transformative force in global infrastructure… integrating AI into safe, analogue, sustainable transport systems."
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