Volocopter made the first FAA-approved flight of a manned, eVTOL aircraft in a public environment in the U.S. during the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this week. The appearance by the German company marked a declaration of its intent to enter the U.S. market with planned air taxi and freight operations using its two-seat VoloCity, and later, the larger, longer-range VoloConnect model.

The crewed Volocopter 2X prototype took off at 2.45 p.m. local time on Tuesday for a four-minute sortie at around 164 feet and logged speeds of 18 mph as it cruised in front of vast crowds at the Wittman Regional Airport, where AirVenture is staged each year. On the ground, visitors were able to take a close look at the VoloCity model and get a first glance at the cabin design.

Volocopter confirmed that it is also working on the four-seat VoloConnect aircraft, which is expected to fly up to around 60 miles and at speeds of 155 mph. This is expected to enter service during 2026, while the VoloCity could start commercial operations by 2024.

Want more? A longer version of this article can be found at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective, independent coverage, and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.