Helicopter flying has been compared to patting your stomach while rubbing your head, something few manage well, if at all. Imagine trying to not only keep the rudder pedals, cyclic and collective under control but also fiddling with 18 throttles. Even a conventional helicopter is a handful with one engine or motor. Maintaining level flight with multiple lifting points at different points around the central fuselage would add to that level of difficulty beyond most people’s mental processing levels. Luckily, someone at Volocopter has worked out a very clever and quick-witted set of algorithms to take the stress out of that high-risk conundrum, as proven by company CEO Alex Zosel’s recent flight – single-handed and even briefly hands-off. Heike Blödorn, the firm’s public relations spokesperson, writes, “Alex Zosel is thrilled after his first flight and explained that ‘for years, we have claimed that the Volocopter is super easy to fly, now we’ve proven it in a very impressive way. I …
