„What will flying in the city feel like? This is what we asked ourselves when thinking about the concept of Urban Air Mobility, says Florian Hesselbach. "An air taxi will spend up to 16 hours a day in the air. In this process, there will be many passenger change-overs due to the short flight times of 15 to 60 minutes. This means that it has to be very robust, resembling more a subway than an airplane, while having a very high-quality look and feel.”
The requirements are high. The air taxi must be ultralight, capable of being produced in high quantities, and at the same time safe and comfortable for passengers and crew.
„Hey, this functions!“
In order to quickly drive forward innovation in the field of Urban Air Mobility, Diehl Aviation uses demonstrators and mock-ups: "We use the prototypes to quickly find out which ideas and concepts are viable and which are not. The tests show, for example, how the surfaces which are used and cleaned enduringly must be designed," the expert knows, "this is essential for the vertical take-off air taxis.
Innovative and lightweight
Especially in the cabin area, Aviation has more than 60 years of experience to make use of: "We work in ultralight sandwich construction, which means that new types of core materials are combined with carbon fiber-reinforced plastic. Robust yet lightweight, the components save a lot of weight."
Sustainable vertical take-off aircraft
"To make air taxis more sustainable, we are researching biological and recyclable materials," explains Florian Hesselbach. "Sustainable technology is more than just a keyword for us. We are working to create real value for our customers and their passengers."
