Vertical Aerospace Now Close to Flight Testing New eVTOL Prototype | Aviation International News

Vertical Aerospace Close to Flight Testing New eVTOL Prototype

The UK start-up aims to demonstrate the four-passenger aircraft at the Farnborough Airshow

Vertical Aerospace VX4 eVTOL aircraft — Well established operators like Bristow are among the prospective customers for Vertical Aerospace's VX4 eVTOL aircraft. © Vertical Aerospace

By Charles Alcock • Managing Editor

June 18, 2024

Vertical Aerospace has almost completed manufacturing of its second VX4 eVTOL prototype and expects to start test flights in the next few weeks. The UK company is still determining whether it will be able to display the four-passenger aircraft at the Farnborough Airshow in late July, but its higher priority remains accelerating progress towards type certification and entry into service targeted for 2026.

While Vertical’s public profile would be greatly boosted by flying the VX4 during the Farnborough event, its new CEO Stuart Simpson has told his team to prioritize development work aimed at achieving a piloted transition flight by the end of this year. On July 31, the company is set to receive the second of two $25 million tranches of funding provided by its founder Stephen Fitzpatrick, which will be sufficient cash to sustain work through the second half of 2025.

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