Vertical Aerospace has scored a world-first as its full-scale tilt-rotor eVTOL accomplished a two-way piloted transition between vertical helicopter mode and horizontal airplane mode throughout a single steady flight whereas beneath regulatory oversight.
On April 14, 2026, Vertical Aerospace carried out the check flight on the firm’s Flight Take a look at Centre at Cotswold Airport in southwest England with Chief Take a look at Pilot Simon Davies on the controls. Although this was the second full-transition piloted flight after the one carried out by Joby Aviation last year, that is the primary to be flown beneath official civil aviation Design Organisation Approval regulatory oversight – particularly, beneath Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The check follows a vertical flight transition on April 2 in addition to a tethered hover in September 2024, vertical maneuvers in February 2025 and wingborne horizontal flight in July 2025 utilizing standard takeoff and touchdown and flying between Cotswold Airport and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire – a distance of 217 nm (250 miles, 402 km).
Vertical Aerospace
The most recent flight was to reveal the power of the Vertical Aerospace G-EVTA plane to grasp the transition section – essentially the most tough and essential for an eVTOL – whereas sustaining stability and management by the pilot. The profitable completion of the check marks the tip of Section 4 of the check program, proving that the plane can function safely by its complete flight envelope. It additionally confirmed that the controls and the Honeywell fly-by-wire techniques can deal with the unconventional aerodynamic adjustments because the entrance rotors of the eight electrical propeller rotors tilt by 90 levels.
The last word purpose is to attain full Kind Certification in 2028, with industrial operations anticipated shortly thereafter. This may contain carrying a single pilot and 4 passengers at 130 knots (150 mph, 241 km/h) over a variety of as much as 100 miles (160 km). Nevertheless, the extra instant purpose is a collection of public flight demonstrations scheduled for the Farnborough Worldwide Airshow in July 2026.
“That is now essentially the most important technical milestone in our historical past,” mentioned Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace. “Full piloted transition is essentially the most crucial and sophisticated problem in eVTOL improvement, and we’ve achieved it beneath extra rigorous regulatory oversight than anybody within the class. We’re not simply taking part on this trade – we’re serving to to outline it. Our focus now could be on executing our roadmap and bringing licensed electrical flight into industrial service.”
Supply: Vertical Aerospace (PDF)
