Vertical Aerospace has conducted its first piloted wingborne flight trials in open airspace with a prototype of its VX4 eVTOL aircraft. The company reported what it billed as a landmark flight on May 27, and said that it is on track to achieve a piloted transition flight during the second half of this year as it works towards type certification in 2028.
The flight from Vertical’s test base at Cotswold Airport in the southwest of England was approved by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, which extended the company’s permit to fly to allow access to controlled airspace while not separated from other traffic. This approval required the completion of tens of thousands of pages of safety and technical documentation.
Wingborne flight is the third phase of flight testing for eVTOL aircraft, in which lift is generated by the wings rather than depending on thrust from electric-powered rotors. During the first flight, the VX4 reached speeds of up to 120 knots at altitudes of around 2,000 feet. Vertical’s engineering team captured more than 30,000 in-flight data parameters, which it said confirmed the planned performance of the VX4 in terms of stability, control, and energy usage. It did not disclose the duration of the first flight.
The company said that the flight marked a crucial milestone in its Flightpath 2030 strategy as it targets 150 deliveries of the four-passenger model by the end of that year. It holds design organization approval from the UK regulator and is working with EASA to achieve concurrent type certification.
Vertical will now conduct more flights in open airspace to expand the configuration and speed envelopes for the VX4. The company said that it intends to conduct public demonstration flights when it has completed phase four of its piloted flight test program, which would include a full transition between vertical and cruise flight.
“Operating under the UK’s rigorous regulatory framework means we share the burden of safety with our regulator,” commented Vertical’s CEO, Stuart Simpson. “Every step must be approved, and that’s by design. It amounts to a mini certification of our prototype and gives us a clearer, faster path to type certification. Our decision to put a pilot into the VX4 early was deliberate as real-world piloted flight delivers insights no simulation can.”