Aircraft
Vertical Starts Piloted Thrustborne Flights With VX4 eVTOL
Company progressing towards hover-to-cruise transition flights
Vertical Aerospace VX4 eVTOL flight testing
Vertical Aerospace's VX4 eVTOL prototype expands the second phase of flight testing with chief test pilot Simon Davies at the controls.

Vertical Aerospace has expanded the scope of flight testing with its VX4 eVTOL prototype. After the UK Civil Aviation Authority broadened the terms of its permit to fly, the company this week started piloted thrustborne hover trials at Cotswold Airport in the southwest of England.

In a progress report issued on January 8, Vertical said it is now working with the regulator to start wingborne flight testing in what will be phase three of the VX4’s flight test program as it advances towards being able to achieve a full transition from vertical to horizontal flight. The Bristol-based company, which in late December agree a new funding package, is now aiming to achieve type certification for the four-passenger vehicle in 2028.