UK-based Vertical Aerospace plans to roll out and fly its VA-1X fixed-wing eVTOL aircraft by year-end, company chief engineer Tim Williams said on January 26 at the Vertical Flight Society’s Electric VTOL Symposium. According to Williams, the VA-1X will be certified in 2024, with first deliveries to follow immediately.
Though development work has been complicated by the Covid pandemic, Vertical Aerospace was able to complete the detailed design of the VA-1X last year and has just begun building the prototype. Williams said the rollout of the full-scale aircraft is expected in late July, followed by ground tests in late August, and tethered first flight in late September. Untethered flights are expected to start in 2022, first in vertical mode, then in forward flight only, and, finally, transition between these two modes.
The startup has also constructed a rotor test stand to explore ways to reduce noise and will soon begin more wind tunnel tests on this front. Additionally, a VA-1X iron bird—a ground-based test device that integrates actual aircraft systems—will come online in the middle of this year, Williams said. The all-electric VA-1X will carry four passengers and a pilot. The fixed-wing tiltrotor design is expected to fly up to around 100 miles at 150 mph.
Honeywell has been tapped as one of Vertical Aerospace’s partners and is responsible for avionics and control systems. The companies are using virtual reality simulation to develop the flight deck, Williams said.
More “big name” partners will be announced in the coming weeks, he promised, adding that “Vertical Aerospace intends to be more of an integrator to help keep costs down.”
