EUROPEAN ROTORS 2020

EUROPEAN ROTORS 2020, launched this year by the European Helicopter Association (EHA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), will be held in Cologne, Germany, November 10-12, 2020.

The conference is the sole European event designed for the entire rotorcraft industry (OEMs, suppliers, and operators). It covers vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft—everything from helicopters to eVTOLs intended for urban air mobility use. Three hundred exhibitors from around the world are expected.

“The new concept offers added value for all market participants: from students and start-ups, via medium-sized companies all the way up to global brands,” said EHA Chairman Peter Möller.

eVTOLs Take Center Stage

Discussions about eVTOLs will dominate on November 12. Sessions include eVTOL certification in Japan with SkyDrive, which recently completed a manned four-minute flight of its one-seater SD-03 prototype. The company expects to start selling a two-seat version by 2023.

COVID -19 effects on urban air mobility in Japan will also be discussed. Also on the agenda is CityAirbus, the electric, four-seat multicopter Airbus first showcased in late 2019. eVTOL lift system design is another topic.

The conference “is a unique opportunity to bring together the actors within the helicopter and VTOL industries in the same location, centrally in Europe,” said Franck Saudo, CEO of Safran Helicopter Engines. “Exhibitions, conferences, best-practice seminars and networking will make it an indispensable event, one in which Safran intends to have a growing stake.”

In 2019, Safran (a leading supplier of aircraft cabin interiors) and Uber worked together to create a cabin for future eVTOLs.

Conference sponsors include Airbus, Bell, Leonardo, Safran, and Kopter.