Volocopter hires chief engineer Sebastian Mores as CTO
Volocopter chief engineer Sebastian Mores has taken the reins as its new chief technology officer (CTO). He retains his previous role and ensuring that the VoloCity, VoloDrone, and VoloRegion are ready in time for their target launches, with the VoloCity scheduled for release at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
He recalled: “I began my career in the Aeromechanics and Loads department at Airbus Helicopters, where I focused on computational fluid dynamics (CFD), aircraft performance and loads on various types of helicopters, but primarily on the H135 and H145 and their modifications.
“I then shifted to the Rotorcraft Architecture department to work on new development programmes for helicopters with a mass of up to seven tons. I subsequently helped to launch the CityAirbus project as part of a small team, starting from scratch.”
Spending almost ten years there taught Mores about aircraft development and design, looking at urban air mobility (UAM) through the eyes of a startup which allowed him to innovate while developing the Volocopter Munich site and new technologies.
Mores set up an entire site for new technology development, which includes everything from new flight control strategies and batteries to motors and complete aircraft development for crewed and uncrewed operations.
He continued: “With a somewhat under-the-radar approach, we developed a new type of aircraft in a very short space of time and are making excellent progress, in particular with its aerodynamic efficiency as well as its overall performance.
“Compared to our lift-to-drag ratio vis-à-vis legacy aircraft, we are focussing on aerodynamic and propulsion system efficiency to ensure solid aircraft performance in time for the launch of our third aircraft.
“In fact, since the successful first flight of our VoloRegion last May, which we brought to life in a mere 18 months, my belief in our future-forward technologies has continued to grow, as has my faith in the solid and efficient team around me.”
In a similar vein, the team will develop the next generation of the VoloDrone and VoloRegion almost simultaneously. Comparable efforts can be seen across all three aircraft, which share technologies that enable cross-departmental synergies.
Mores added: “Innovation is something that runs through my veins, and it’s the lifeblood of all my colleagues across Volocopter, too. I believe our development approach to the task at hand is exemplary, and our combined ability to think outside the box regularly gets things done.
“My team’s vision is certainly ambitious, but I believe that we have both the experience and technological expertise to achieve our goals. Our vision is to develop quickly, through rapid prototyping. I am sure that we, Volocopter, have what it takes to bring UAM to life.”
Mores’s appointment follows the news two days ago that Japanese eVTOL aircraft manufacturer SkyDrive appointed Volocopter’s former CTO Arnaud Coville as its new Chief Development Officer to lead the team developing the company’s SD-05 model.
