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The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) this week issued design organization approval (DOA) to eVTOL aircraft developer Vertical Aerospace. The approval clears the way for the Bristol-based company to further advance its work to design and certify its four-passenger <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/vertical-vx4?model=va-x4">VX4 vehicle</a>.
According to Vertical, it is the first eVTOL manufacturer to be issued a DOA by the UK air safety agency. The approval process involved an assessment of the start-up’s procedures and quality management systems, as well as the competence of its technical workforce. CAA inspectors also considered whether the company has all the necessary facilities and equipment to complete the type certification of a new aircraft.
Vertical DOA (designated as UK.21J.1001) has been issued under the category for small airplanes with eVTOL limitations. The approval means that the company’s engineering design organization is now compliant with the UK’s Part 21 Subpart J regulatory requirements.
Earlier in March, the CAA confirmed that it intends to adopt the Special Condition VTOL means of compliance developed by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). This decision is expected to facilitate the process by which the CAA's type certificate&nbsp;would be concurrently validated by EASA, of which the UK used to be a member state.
“Taken together, this progress provides essential regulatory clarity to Vertical on the requirements for the development of its VX4 and further discussions will continue with the CAA in the coming months, including robust technical familiarizations,” the company said in a written statement on March 30. “This positions the UK, alongside Europe, as a market with a clear regulatory framework for the design and manufacture of these novel electric aircraft.”
Vertical also confirmed that it has formally started the VX4’s type certification validation process with the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB). This means the company is now pursuing type certification in four jurisdictions, including with&nbsp;&nbsp;the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and&nbsp;Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency. Before starting series production of the aircraft, Vertical will also need to be issued with production organization approval.
Launch customers for the all-electric aircraft include Japan Airlines, which has agreed to take 100 vehicles through leasing group Avolon, and<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-01-20/vertical-receives-payment-first-vx4-evtol-aircraft-deliveries-japan"> Marubeni Corporation</a> with 200 preorders. Marubeni recently announced that it aims to deploy the VX4 as one of several eVTOL aircraft operators that will be participating in the advanced air mobility showcase during the 2025 Osaka World Expo.
“Receiving a DOA from the CAA is a huge testament to our team and the hard work we are doing to ensure safety is at the core of the VX4,” said Paul Harper, Vertical’s head of certification. “I believe that in formally working with JCAB, as the fourth regulator Vertical is committed to certifying with, we are on track for establishing the most detailed understanding of global regulators’ needs and differences for eVTOLs. This will give us a competitive edge in bringing the VX4 into service.”
Vertical’s program team includes leading aerospace companies such as Rolls-Royce, Honeywell, Leonardo, and GKN Aerospace. The company has reported more than 1,400 preorders for an aircraft that is expected to deliver a range of up to 100 miles at a 150 mph cruise speed. In September 2022, it started tethered hover <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-09-26/verticals-vx4-evtol-aircraft-prototype-makes-first-hover-flight">flight testing</a> with an initial prototype.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

UK Regulator Issues First eVTOL Design Organization Approval to Vertical Aerospace

Vertical Aerospace, a UK-based start-up developing the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/vertical-vx4?model=va-x4">VX4 eVTOL aircraft</a>, has opened a facility in Bristol dedicated to designing, testing, and manufacturing batteries for electric aircraft, the company announced today. The Vertical Energy Centre (VEC)&nbsp;is the UK’s most advanced aerospace battery facility, says the company.
At least 50 Vertical employees are now working at the 15,000-sq-ft facility, where Vertical is developing proprietary battery technologies that will enable higher power-to-weight ratios for eVTOL aircraft. The company is planning for its eVTOL air taxi to enter service in 2025 with a battery system that delivers 220 Wh/kg of specific energy, which will enable the electric aircraft to conduct back-to-back missions with minimal downtime for charging in between flights, and with limited impact on the battery pack’s cycle life, according to Vertical.&nbsp;
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“Aircraft require high-performing and safer batteries than anything on the market today. This facility and our core technology will unlock this, bringing the reality of electric flight even closer,” said Limhi Somerville, the head of Vertical’s powertrain team. Somerville also chairs the eVTOL EuroCAE electrical certification group, which is defining the battery standards for electric aviation with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
In July 2022, Vertical announced a partnership with Taiwanese lithium-ion battery maker E-One Moli Energy, also known as Molicel, with the goal of combining Vertical’s battery pack design <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-07-06/molicels-lithium-ion-batteries-will-power-vertical-aerospaces-vx4-evtol">with Molicel’s battery cell technology</a>. Vertical says it has already conducted several tests on the battery cells at the new VEC, and the company has begun building manufacturing machinery and assembling its first prototype battery modules.&nbsp;
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<figcaption>Vertical's eVTOL battery packs use battery cells supplied by Molicel. (Photo: Vertical Aerospace)</figcaption>
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Before opening the VEC, Vertical had already conducted extensive tests of its battery systems, including temperature, vibration, and durability tests as well as drop tests. It has also conducted crash and thermal runaway testing under the supervision of EASA and the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority.
Last month, Vertical announced that it had received a £14 million ($17 million) award <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-02-07/uk-government-releases-new-funding-hydrogen-and-electric-aviation">from the Aerospace Technology Institute</a>, through a partnership with the UK government, to fund the development of its proprietary battery technologies.&nbsp;
“Vertical’s investment in cutting-edge battery technology brings us one step closer to delivering zero-emission flight, a central objective of the Jet Zero Council,” said Lord Johnson, the UK’s minister for investment. “Tomorrow’s technologies like zero-emissions aviation will not only provide a boost to sustainable growth but are essential for generating the new, high-quality jobs that will take Britain’s economy into the future.”
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Science & Technology Editor

Hanneke Weitering

Vertical Aerospace Opens Vertical Energy Centre for eVTOL Battery Development

Vertical Aerospace says it has secured a pre-delivery payment from Japanese trading and investment conglomerate Marubeni Corporation for 25 <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/vertical-vx4">VX4 eVTOL aircraft</a>, making the leasing group Vertical’s first customer in Asia to back its VX4 orders with a down payment.&nbsp;
In September 2021, Marubeni conditionally agreed to purchase up to 200 of the four-passenger eVTOL aircraft, which Vertical expects to deliver in 2025. Marubeni’s undisclosed pre-delivery payment covers the first 25 of those units and secures their delivery slots.&nbsp;
When Marubeni placed those conditional pre-orders in 2021, the company also signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly evaluate what it would take to launch eVTOL operations in Japan with Vertical Aerospace.&nbsp;
Vertical, a UK-based startup, plans to have the VX4 operating in Japan in time for the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-10-20/japan-airlines-could-take-100-evtol-aircraft-air-taxi-plans-2025-osaka">Osaka-Kansai World Expo</a> in 2025, where the aircraft could provide air taxi services for attendees of the six-month-long event. Organizers of the event are expected to publicly announce the eVTOL operators selected to participate in the event by the end of January.&nbsp;
“Japan is a wonderful country that is embracing the promise of eVTOL, as it will connect cities and regions like never before,” said Vertical Aerospace founder and CEO Stephen Fitzpatrick. “We look forward to our joint efforts to build the ecosystem for zero-emissions travel in Japan.”
“I am confident that our continued joint efforts with Vertical Aerospace, such as evaluating the requirements for eVTOL operations and engaging the potential partners under the joint working group, together with this new agreement, will accelerate the development of the AAM market in Japan,” added Satoshi Takechi, the general manager of Marubeni’s department of aviation, space and defense. “Marubeni will further enhance activities to materialize our business, which aims to make air travel more accessible and convenient, while simultaneously contributing to climate change mitigation measures, including low-carbon and decarbonization initiatives.”
Vertical’s VX4 is a fully electric eVTOL aircraft that can carry four passengers plus one pilot on trips of around 100 miles (160 kilometers) on a single charge, while traveling at a top speed of 202 mph (325 km/h). Its design features a fixed-wing aircraft with tilting rotors, and Vertical says it will be 100 times quieter in flight than a helicopter. The VX4 completed its <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-09-26/verticals-vx4-evtol-aircraft-prototype-makes-first-hover-flight">first hover flight test</a> in September 2022.
Vertical is working on concurrently certifying the VX4 with&nbsp;the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority and EASA. The company expects to achieve type certification in 2024, with the first deliveries to follow in 2025. So far, other VX4 customers include <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-07-15/american-airlines-commits-purchasing-50-evtol-vertical-aerospace">American Airlines</a> (which has made prepayments for its first 50 deliveries), Virgin Atlantic, FlyingGroup, and Avalon.

Vertical Receives Payment for First VX4 eVTOL Aircraft Deliveries in Japan

Vertical Aerospace has achieved a first tethered takeoff with its VX4 eVTOL prototype aircraft, with the company reporting on Monday that the flight happened on Saturday. The UK-based start-up provided few details about the flight, beyond confirming that chief test pilot Justin Paines had been at the controls and that the vehicle had hovered at around one meter above the ground for 10 minutes.
Since the flight was piloted, it required a “Permit to Fly” issued by the UK Civil Aviation Authority. According to Vertical Aerospace, it is the first British company to start flight tests with a new aircraft in more than 20 years. The Bristol-based manufacturer said that the flight took place inside a hangar at Kemble Airport in the west of England, where it intends to conduct initial flight testing.
In its September 26 statement, Vertical said “it is hoped” the four-passenger eVTOL vehicle will achieve type certification in 2025. This appears to suggest some caution over committing to a timeline that—as recently as April when Vertical provided an update on the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-04-21/easa-will-validate-uk-certification-vertical-aerospaces-vx4-evtol-aircraft">certification program</a>—referred to the aircraft achieving first deliveries and entry into service in 2025. The company had previously indicated that its concurrent UK and <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-04-21/easa-will-validate-uk-certification-vertical-aerospaces-vx4-evtol-aircraft">EASA </a>type certification would be completed in 2024.
In a written statement, Vertical Aerospace told&nbsp;FutureFlight&nbsp;that the anticipated timing for type certification has not changed. "We are not commenting on specific future timings at this early stage," a spokeswoman said.
Over the coming months, Vertical says, the first VX4 prototype will fly at increasingly higher altitudes and speeds before demonstrating the critical transition from vertical to horizontal flight. The all-electric aircraft, which has eight sets of tilting propellers, is expected to fly sectors of up to 100 miles, cruising at 150 mph and with a top speed of 200 mph.
Vertical says that it now holds conditional preorders for more than 1,400 of the aircraft, with prospective customers including major airlines, such as <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-07-15/american-airlines-commits-purchasing-50-evtol-vertical-aerospace">American Airlines </a>(which has made prepayments for its first 50 deliveries), Virgin Atlantic Airways, Japan Airlines, and Air Asia. <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-07-15/uks-future-flight-challenge-funds-new-advanced-mobility-ecosystem">Virgin plans</a>&nbsp;to conduct two operational test flights with the VX4 in the spring of 2024 on trips from London Heathrow and Bristol airports.
“This test represented the culmination of many months of preparation by a huge team and being at the controls of the VX4 for the first time was an honor and a proud moment for us all,” said Paines.
Major program partners for the VX4 include avionics group Honeywell Aerospace, aerostructures specialist <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-07-25/vertical-approaches-evtol-first-flight-gkn-installs-vx4-wiring">GKN</a>, and aircraft engines maker Rolls-Royce.
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Vertical Aerospace

News

UK Regulator Issues First eVTOL Design Organization Approval to Vertical Aerospace

Vertical Aerospace Opens Vertical Energy Centre for eVTOL Battery Development

Vertical Receives Payment for First VX4 eVTOL Aircraft Deliveries in Japan

Vertical's VX4 eVTOL Aircraft Prototype Makes First Hover Flight

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