UK advanced air mobility (AAM) developer Vertical Aerospace have completed the first piloted transition test flight of their Valo eVTOL.
Taking place on April 2 in Gloucestershire, UK, the test saw the aircraft take off and land in a simulation of a runway environment. Vertical will next target the second half of a two-way transition system, where Valo takes off and lands vertically.
David King, chief engineer at Vertical Aerospace, said,
Completing this piloted transition milestone is a profound achievement and the result of years of engineering innovation and disciplined test execution.
The aircraft performed exactly as designed, transitioning smoothly and under full control – proving the core elements of Vertical’s distributed electric propulsion and tiltrotor technology at full scale, in real flight conditions. This is not yet final mission accomplished, but it is a pivotal technical proof point on our path to two-way transition.
The test flight took place under the Permit to Fly programme, run by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in partnership with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Based in Southwest England, Vertical report 1,500 pre-orders for Valo and recently announced a funding package worth US$850 million to continue aircraft development.
In February, the company courted controversy when rival American eVTOL developers Archer announced they were suing Vertical for patent infringement. Both firms have pitched potential New York air taxi networks, while Archer has threatened Vertical on home turf by establishing a base in Bristol, UK. Vertical dismissed the claims, stating Archer made them to distract from challenges in the competitive air taxi market.
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