Aircraft
Vertical Completes First Phase of VX4 eVTOL Flight Testing
Next phase will include thrustborne piloted flights at the UK's Cotswold Airport
Vertical Aerospace VX eVTOL prototype aircraft
Vertical Aerospace has completed the first phase of flight testing with its VX4 eVTOL prototype aircraft.

Vertical Aerospace has completed the first phase of piloted flight testing with its new full-scale prototype of the VX4 eVTOL aircraft. The UK company reported on September 12 that it has now made 20 flights from its flight test center at Cotswold Airport, covering 70 individual test points.

The first phase of a flight test program started in July, and Vertical hopes it will lead to UK type certification in 2026. In piloted tethered flights and ground test runs, the company evaluated various flight and operational situations to validate the prototype’s safety performance, including in circumstances that exceed anticipated operating conditions. These included a simulation in which one of its eight electric propulsion units (EPUs) failed.