World first electric helicopter takes flight

The world’s first electrically powered two-seat helicopter took off and made its maiden flight inside a German hangar on November 17. The e-volocopter is a multicopter, with numerous small rotors arranged in an array, rather than one large rotor with two blades. The rotors are similar to those used on small, radio-controlled ‘quadcopters’. The team recorded 20 minutes of flight time on November 17. Credit: E-Volo Team