This thing looks like a ton of fun to fly. I am not sure if a simple helmet would be sufficient for me to take the e-volo for a spin though. It’s one thing to fly a small toy multicopter around using a remote but when it comes to strapping yourself into the center of one that weights in at 90 kg!
I hope that the e-volo is what it takes to make the flying car a reality for the everyday person.
“The e-volos sixteen propellers allow it to take off and land similar to a helicopter. Its massive plus points compared to a helicopter are the simplicity of its engineered construction without complicated mechanics and its redundant engines. Should anything go wrong, e-volo can still safely land even if up to four of its sixteen motors should fail. Flight time can last between ten to thirty minutes, depending on the payload and the capacity of the lithium batteries. With an empty weight at 80 kg (including batteries), e-volo fits into the class of ultralights.
Thomas Senkel developed the concept as a graduate physicist. He did the complete mechanical and electrical construction of the e-volo multicopter. His specialties are research & development of electric drives and ultralight vehicles and aircrafts. He is an enthusiastic paragliding and ultralight pilot.
Stephan Wolf developed the software from scratch, which controls the e-volo’s onboard flight computer. He has more than 25 years of experience developing core drivers and embedded software development in the industry.
Alexander Zosel is responsible for marketing, sales, and public relations. He has developed several patents and utility modules and is an avid paragliding pilot and flight instructor.“
