Konstanz, 14th January 2021 – Unisphere is proud to join the new eVTOL Flight Test Council – formed by the Vertical Flight Society and the Society of Flight Test Engineers. The group has grown quickly to 160 members and is working to establish best practices for safety and certification, as well as to promote efficiency and shared knowledge in the development and operation of new aircraft.
According to council chair Al Lawless, the group has been formed in response to the rapidly increasing volume of flight testing being conducted on new “large-scale” electric aircraft. In his view, many of the pioneers in advanced air mobility are startup companies that have limited connections within the aviation industry and are not connected with industry associations' efforts to share best practices.
“That was ok for smaller aircraft being developed under the Part 107 (55 pound) limit, but with aircraft masses and energies increasing, the time has come for professional societies to purposefully reach out to new-generation flight testers,” Lawless said.
“Flight test departments are the untold, real launching customers for any new aircraft. They are the first ones to see what´s happening during flight operations.” said Christoph Schlettig, founder of Unisphere. He has been a flight test engineer and flight director for several commercial and experimental aircraft projects, including Solarimpulse – the first solar aircraft to successfully fly around the world in 2016. “The number of members from all over the world, ranging from manufacturers, suppliers, aviation authorities, service providers to operators clearly shows the value, people see in this council. With Unisphere, we are thrilled to contribute and share our expertise”, Schlettig added.
