1st Sucessful Flight Of 'Air Taxi' In FL Takes Place At Tampa Airport

TAMPA, FL — A crowd made up of Tampa International Airport employees, city and state officials clapped and cheered Thursday morning during the first-ever test flight of an "electric air taxi" at a metropolitan U.S. airport and the first test in Florida.

The developer of the electric air taxi, Dirk Hoke, CEO of Volocopter, a Germany-based pioneer of urban air mobility and electric air taxi manufacturer, noted that the cheers weren't drowned out by the usual ear-splitting noise from the helicopter taking off.

"You see, you can have normal conversations while it's taking off," he said, from the airfield at Tampa International Airport.

Guests including Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Castor, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch and others from the aviation and transportation industry were on hand to watch the first electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL), more commonly known as an electric air taxi, complete an eight-minute flight.

Though the test flight was short, Gary Harrod, chairman of the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, which oversees Hillsborough County's airports and formed the committee a year ago to investigate the feasibility of an air taxi service, said it was a major step in the airport's future.

"Congratulations to Volocopter on today's historic test flight," he said. "We're excited about what the future holds."

In addition to being quiet, the electric air taxi is also safe and fast, said Hoke. The electric helicopters operate with 18 motors so it can conceivably lose two motors and still land safely, he said.

Once the service is operational, the helicopters will fly over Tampa at about 55 mph, getting people to their destinations within 15 to 20 minutes, as opposed to sitting in traffic on Tampa's road, sometimes for hours.

"We could go faster but this is the perfect speed to fly over cities and get people to their destination," Hoke said.

Related: Air Taxis In Tampa? Committee Says It Could Be Just 2 Years Away

“Tampa International Airport has always embraced innovation and futuristic planning, and we’ve already identified a potential site for urban air mobility as a part of our master plan,” TPA CEO Joe Lopano said. “This technology has the potential to transform the aviation and transportation industry, and we’re excited to partner with Volocopter as we introduce and visualize the amazing possibilities that lie ahead.”

He said TPA has been a leader in advancing the technology, also known as advanced air mobility, forming a special committee to study eVTOL infrastructure in the Tampa Bay area and how it might integrate with the current airspace system.

The committee has been working with state, federal and industry leaders to better understand how eVTOLs might be used in the next five to 10 years, as well as FAA safety requirements and regulations.

UAM is a new category of aircraft that focuses on short- to medium-range flights, transporting people and goods to or within an urban environment. Quiet, safe and sustainable operations of a certified eVTOL are designed to not only provide efficient transportation to reduce traffic congestion, but to lower the carbon footprint of the aviation industry.

Volocopter recently announced its partnership with the Bristow Group to begin operations of eVTOLs in the near future, with Florida being one of the targeted areas of operation.

Since 2018, Volocopter has flown in three U.S. locations, with Tampa being the first site in Florida as well as the first test flight at a major U.S. airport.

“Flying at a large, active airport always presents a multitude of challenges, but we proved that our aircraft is safe, quiet and efficiently useful in a city like Tampa,” Volocopter CEO Dirk Hoke said. “Volocopter sees this as the starting point of the entry into service in the U.S., and we will come back to show our continued progress. We thank all attending guests for the support given to make this first-ever eVTOL flight in Florida a success.”

"What an exciting day this is not only for Tampa International Airport but also for the city of Tampa, St. Petersburg and the entire Tampa Bay region," said Castor. "This transportation is one of our main focuses here in the Tampa Bay region. I've often said that if we don't come up with transportation solutions that our growth is going to slow. So this is exciting to be able to unveil this today in our community and, without a doubt, urban air mobility is definitely a huge part of the future of transportation not only here in the Tampa Bay region but throughout the United States and throughout the world."

Hoke said a few weeks ago, he and his team stopped by TPA on a "roadshow of airports through Florida." At that time, he told Lopano that he planned to launch his air taxi in Dallas and Las Vegas.

"And Joe said, 'Why aren't you flying from Florida?' And I said, 'Why not?' So, we said, 'Let's do something together,' and a few weeks later we set it up," said Hoke during an interview Thursday. "I've experienced a lot of airports around the world during the last decades and I've got to say that Tampa is really one of the coolest airport experiences a kid can have."

"Tampa International Airport has been all about innovation," said Lopano. "It's in our DNA. The visionaries who created the design for this airport wanted to do something that had never been done before. They created the world's first automated airport shuttles that would transport people from the main terminal out to the gates without the walking distances that made other airports unpleasant. That's vision and courage, and that's what we're showing today. We're leading the way."

He noted that Tampa Bay has a long history of flight innovation.

"Remember, over 100 years ago, we had the first commercial flight in the world from St. Pete to Tampa, flown by Tony Janus. So, what better way to demonstrate innovation than this new aircraft, which is spectacular? This new aircraft will go above all the traffic and take you where you need to go."

While Lopano said he's not ready to give a launch date on the Volocopter air taxi, he said, "This is going to be a reality for us very soon."