Did you hear that pin drop? The pin representing a decision by a certain French authority concerning whether eVTOLs will fly over Paris during the Olympic Games in July and August.

This was going to be the great white hope for the nascent Industry, where potentially four billion people globally would watch the new green aviation revolution unfold via their TV screens, excited, mesmerised, even astounded by seeing the future play out in their present. 

This authority promised us the sky, even suggesting that eVTOLs would fly the Olympic contestants to and from the different stadiums with the public following suit. We were promised a decision in January, then March, yet with just 84 days to go, not a sound, zilch, nada. The silence is deafening. Volocity where art thou?

The conspiracists might suggest, it is down to a cruel stubbornness from the Paris political-left, determined to stop the capitalists from heralding their next money-making venture or just, may be, a direct  attack at the increasingly unpopular French leader, President Emmanuel Macron, to stop the blaze of publicity the Olympics will gain, if flying taxis become the natural star of the show away from track and field?

Yet, the very latest revolt against eVTOLs being at the Olympics is beyond belief. A spark of madness where the world has been turned upside down. There is no reason or rationale for this latest defilement. 

For electric flying taxis are aimed at the growing mass of green enthusiasts, agreed? eVTOLs are clean, mean and ultra-green. Designed to lessen the carbon footprint as well as be ultra-quiet compared to other craft like the helicopter, thereby massively lessening the sound footprint. It is the aviation answer to all the greens’ prayers… surely? 

So, why did Extinction Rebellion activists spray paint on the building of the DGAC (General Directorate of Civil Aviation) on Wednesday (May 1st), while breaking windows for good measure, to protest against the deployment of eVTOLs during the Games?

The organisation posted on ‘X’, “We redecorate DGAC to draw attention to its role in the “flying taxis” project, a project as stupid as it is useless, planned for the Paris Olympics 2024.”

What insanity is this?

Who is to blame for this perverse miscommunication? The French authorities, the eVTOL companies, the mainstream media… why has no money been spent on actually educating the Parisian public?

Back in November, certain Paris councillors reacted to the flying taxi notion with a stunning negative reaction, calling the plans as “absurd” and an “ecological aberration.” For example, Dan Lert, a Deputy Mayor of the Consul de Paris, described such flying operations as “a totally useless, hyper-polluting gimmick for a few ultra-privileged people in a hurry.”

Yes, “hyper-polluting!”

And yet this abject ignorance becomes even more absurd when Parti Socialiste councillor, Florian Sitbon, remarked, “To save a few minutes for a few wealthy people in a hurry, who are ignorant and contemptuous of the climate emergency, we would be polluting the atmosphere and destroying the sound environment.”

How could this nihilistic sciolism become so dangerous for the development of the eVTOL industry? The Paris Olympics is a golden opportunity, yet seemingly, it is evaporating in a puff of green acrid smoke infront of our very eyes.

politico.eu warned us back in February that dreams might be shattered. With an article headline “Why you won’t fly in an air taxi at the Paris Olympics”, it blames the regulatory path. Journalist Tomasso Lecca writes, “It’s not there are no such aircraft — the technology is there — but getting regulatory approval in a hyper safety conscious area like aviation is a much longer slog.”

Is EASA to blame for this? Sensitive to the left-wing political outrage as well as the extreme safety requirements, giving certification to Volocopter to fly over Paris is too much of a “patate chaude?” Too far a stretch in 2024? Better to be safe than sorry?

To be fair, amidst the past media hype and hullabaloo, Dirk Hoke, CEO of Volocopter, did warn, “To be honest, I can’t guarantee that we’ll be flying certified operations during the Olympics.”

This is backed up by quotes from a politico.eu “source” involved in the regulatory process, presumably working for EASA. The anonymous individual stated, “Although it was intended that the regulatory structure for aircraft certification and pilot licensing would be in place, it is highly unlikely this will be ready at the EU level, with a minimum expected delay to 2025.” 

Even so, the person offers hope. “Instead, I expect Volocopter to fly under a nationally issued Permit to Fly from the French DGAC on pre-defined and highly controlled routes, with pre-selected non-paying passengers such as celebrities, athletes and probably journalists.”

At present, even that seems unlikely. If a decision has been already made to fly the Volocity, flaunt this knowledge to help market and publicise the Games. Yet, the silence remains deafening.

Meanwhile, politico points out, the French Environmental Authority measured the noise level of an air taxi in flight at 65 decibels and concluded that “it was not silent as promised.” Hoke retorted, perhaps exasperated, “The noise level is so low that it can’t be heard by two people having a conversation.” He continued, “We are fighting so hard to fly in Paris because we believe that everyone knows how difficult it is and making that happen will send a big signal to the world.”

Unfortunately, such hopes and dreams, seemingly, won’t be the ones the public were promised. For the idea of “air taxis flying and hovering over Paris, as the world’s best athletes compete for medals,” points out Hoke, initially came from, yep, you’ve guessed it, Emmanuel Macron “to demonstrate innovation in France in the summer of 2024.” The President’s unpopularity, perhaps, has done the flying taxi industry no favours.

What is becoming obvious is that without full political and public support, the roll out of eVTOLs, especially in the West, is going to be one hard and remorseless slog, allowing countries like China and the Middle East, who are not so concerned about contradictory views from their people, to dominate the industry over the next ten years or so. While, without extensive and exhaustive public education…

Hello, did you hear that pin drop… again?

(News Source: https://www.politico.eu)