VTOL developer CycloTech has received permission from the national aviation safety authority, Austro Control, to perform outdoor flights with its 85kg demonstrator starting this month.
The approval 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.
CycloTech
“The Operational Authorisation 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.
Austro Control awarded UAS operational authorisation for the “specific” category and therefore CycloTech is now qualified to operate its demonstrator, as an unmanned aerial vehicle, in visual line of sight (VLOS) under the respective regulations in a controlled test area of 2.500m² and a secured environment of 100.000m².
Outdoor test
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.
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