Eighteen rotors, pilot optional Eighteen rotors, pilot optional

ot every chief executive of an aircraft company would take personal control of a prototype test flight, but Alex Zosel was making a point.

Zosel, CEO of the German firm e-volo GmbH, grabbed the joystick to demonstrate how easy it is to fly the 18-rotor craft he conceived in 2011, inspired by the advent of small, unmanned aircraft that are now ubiquitous. Unlike traditional (or miniature radio-controlled) helicopters, these multirotor machines are controlled solely by varying the speed of each electric motor independently, with a digital flight controller at the heart of the system that can detect motion and translate pilot inputs to smooth motion in the desired direction. The computer can compensate for the loss of more than one motor simultaneously, and allows the pilot to stop flying at any moment.

“You can feel free to let go of the joystick when you wish to gaze at something in wonderment, the Volocopter retains your altitude and position,” the company website reports, cheerfully dispensing with the challenges associated with piloting helicopters as if they were already in the past.

Zosel was not personally along for the ride when he took command of the pre-production prototype during a series of test flights in November, the company noted in a press release. The flight, documented in a YouTube video shown above, was made with both seats of the Volocopter VC200 filled with ballast, simulating the weight of the absent pilot.

Zosel climbs aboard, though he does not fly, in another video explaining the origin of his creation.