FutureFlight
VoloDrone Will Operate Remotely and Flexibly Using Purpose-built Trailer
The Mobile Vertipad is like a standard transport trailer that can quickly convert into a mobile takeoff and landing base for Volocopter's cargo-carrying, autonomous eVTOL.
VoloDrone
Volocopter's VoloDrone autonomous eVTOL aircraft will use a purpose-built trailer as a mobile landing pad for cargo operations. (Image: Volocopter)

In the same week that Volocopter publicly demonstrated how its autonomous VoloDrone eVTOL aircraft will deliver freight, the company has unveiled a specially designed trailer that will allow it to be operated remotely without the need for purpose-built ground infrastructure. Austrian company Schwarzmuller has produced what it calls a Mobile Vertipad that it says can be used as a takeoff and landing platform for the vehicle.

The Mobile Vertipad looks much like a conventional transport trailer, with a length of 39 feet, a width of eight feet, and a height of 13 feet. A loading container on the top of the chassis can support the VoloDrone, which can carry a payload of up to 440 pounds on trips of up to 25 miles. The fully loaded vehicle weighs about as much as a small car.