Vertical Aerospace: “This is where we take off”
As Vertical Aerospace’s second prototype aircraft completed its inaugural tethered hover, chief technology Michael Cervenka elaborated on the eVTOL developer’s aims and aspirations as its next round of flight testing gets off the ground.
With key flight test events expected within the coming months, the transition to forward flight is also a major upcoming milestone, with only two eVTOL companies to have achieved piloted transition so far – although “nobody has yet done it on a vehicle of this complexity and capability and representativeness of the final product to take to market,” he highlighted.
Testing times
“Effectively, this is where we take off,” explained Cervenka; referring not only to the inaugural ‘wheels-up’ moment of aircraft two (something which happened within an hour of our interview) but representing another major milestone in the development of Vertical’s VX4, something the company is targeting certification of for the end of 2026.
Following a multitude of ground tests, the piloted, tethered flight was achieved following the award of a Permit to Fly from the UK Civil Aviation Authority; validating Vertical’s engineering, design, test data and aircraft. Following further assessment work with the authorities, the exercise will be repeated without the tethers, after which Vertical can build up to its thrust-borne campaign; “effectively redoing what [it] did on aircraft one with a pilot on board” (albeit flying slightly slower at circa 20kts). Subsequent wingborne flight will pose additional regulatory challenges; primarily owing to the UK’s lack of “key remote areas” and the need to demonstrate the craft’s safety from a third-party perspective.
An undisputed milestone will be the transition to forward flight – a “critical manoeuvre an eVTOL has to go through” – after which the VX4 can fly a full VTOL mission. “Over the coming months, I think we’ll work through that,” mused Cervenka, noting that only two eVTOLs have thus far achieved a piloted transition: Beta (with its lift and cruise configuration) and Wisk (using an early design of tiltrotor).
Aircraft evolution
Vertical Aerospace has come “an enormous way in terms of technology development and maturation as a company, and actually the whole industry has in the last two years,” said Cervenka, pointing out the “foundational building blocks” Vertical has been working on since its 2022 appearance at Farnborough International Airshow.
In particular, the second prototype aircraft represents “almost a paradigm shift” from the earlier iteration, which although broadly similar in external appearance (save the white rather than black scheme) possess a significant number of differences. With the percentage of content from strategic suppliers since upped from 10% to 60% (including harnessing Leonardo’s expertise for the fuselage and pylons), he reiterated the “huge benefit” of working with strategic partners, who bring “deep technology pipelines, proven certification pedigree and know-how”.
One notable exception is the switch to Vertical’s second-generation proprietary propellers (featuring a new co-bonded structure), offering the company a unique capability in terms of noise, performance and safety. Aircraft two also marks the first time Vertical’s own battery systems, designed and assembled in the Vertical Energy Centre, have been used.
Crucially, prototype two has been designed to be crewed from the outset. Although the industry has seen multiple remotely-piloted craft over the last few years – useful in terms of proving the flight is physically possible – to design an inhabited vehicle, “you have to have a completely different attitude to how you want to develop the product and how you ensure it’s safe,” added Cervenka, joking: “There isn’t a playbook for how you design these things!”
Flying further from home
As Vertical continues the flight testing, it will seek incremental risk-based assessment and approvals with the CAA to pursue each stage of the campaign; described as “very much an ongoing conversation”. Taking things one step at a time, Cervenka highlighted: “We’re proving to ourselves and the regulator at each step that phase works successfully”.
Having completed the full programme of envelope expansion and engineering at its Cotswolds base, Vertical will then take its VX4 to Bicester for several days of flying in and out of the UK’s first dedicated vertiport testbed (as part of the Advanced Mobility Ecosystem Consortium). A subsequent route will also see it fly from Farnborough to London Heathrow, using a helicopter flight path into an existing helipad; highlighting its key mission profile as an airport shuttle service.
Vertical currently has around 1500 orders for its VX4 (with roughly a third each in the Americas, Europe and Asia) across three major use cases: airport shuttle, inter-city hops, and tourism applications. “The best products and services come from really demanding, knowledgeable customers because they help bring a customer perspective,” concluded Cervenka. “This isn’t an aircraft that can meet every extreme core mission, but an aircraft that meets the majority of missions in the most effective way, that is also a platform for upgrades and grows as the technology improves”.
