Following EASA regulations, CycloTech received permission from the national aviation safety authority, Austro Control, to perform outdoor flights with its 85kg demonstrator starting March 2023. This is another landmark for the nascent CycloRotor technology after the demonstrator’s first flights were accomplished in August 2021 indoor in the company´s flight test hall. CycloTech will now start an outdoor flight campaign at a general aviation airport in Upper Austria fostering its role as the world´s leading developer of the cyclogyro technology.
“The Operational Authorization for the outdoor flight test campaign is a major milestone and will be key to demonstrate the CycloRotor technology to the aviation world.” said Deva Harsha Yarramshetti, Flight Test Engineer at CycloTech who filed the application for operational approval in October 2022. In the process, CycloTech gave evidence of its capability as emerging aviation propulsion system company, such as
• SORA (Specific Operation Risk Assessment) according to UAS Regulation (EU) 2019/947)
• ConOps (Concept of Operations) according to UAS Regulation (EU) 2019/947)
including system design descriptions, configuration management, maintenance, trainings, operations, safety, risk management procedures, emergency response plans and much more.
Austro Control awarded UAS operational authorization for the “specific” category and therefore CycloTech is now qualified to operate its demonstrator, as unmanned aerial vehicle, in visual line of sight (VLOS) under the respective regulations and proceedings in a controlled test area of 2.500m² and a secured environment of 100.000m².
The outdoor test area offers now the right setup to speed up the development process, shorten the time to market and show the unique capabilities of the CycloRotor.
“CycloTech and CycloRotors have now successfully entered the regulated world controlled by aviation safety agencies” said Markus Steinke, Chief Development Officer at CycloTech. As a result, the company is continuing to grow and planning to double the number of employees by the end of 2023 to more than 60 people.
About CycloTech
CycloTech GmbH is the world leading company for aviation propulsion systems based on the Voith-Schneider-Principle. The Austrian company develops the unique 360° thrust vectoring CycloRotors, a new, sustainable, highly maneuverable propulsion system for the new air mobility demands of the 21st century. The compact design and instant control of magnitude and orientation of the omni-directional thrust of CycloRotors enable easy transition from hover to forward flight regimes, gust control and precision landing, ideal for safe operation in crowed airspace and confined areas. CycloTech aims at making individual air mobility as normal as driving a car – opening the sky for everyone.
www.cyclotech.at