Vertical Aerospace‘s latest VX4 prototype has finished the first phase of its piloted flight-test programme, including a series of 20 tethered sorties.
Conducted at the company’s flight-test centre at Cotswold airport in southwest England, the tests saw the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft complete a total of 70 individual test points since it first took off in late July.
The latest VX4 is a replacement for a previous prototype written off in a flight-test mishap last year when a propeller blade failed.
Vertical says its engineers monitored 35,000 flight and system parameters during the trials.
Beyond the phase-one tests, the VX4 also performed low- and high-speed taxi tests, including deliberately failing electric propulsion units at high taxi speeds to confirm controllability and safety.
Vertical is continuing to work closely with the UK Civil Aviation Authority on expanding its Permit to Fly as it prepares for the next step: piloted thrust-borne flight tests.
“It took us just one week to go from our first ground test to our chief test pilot flying the VX4, and we have been making outstanding progress since then,” says Vertical Aerospace chief executive Stuart Simpson.
“Completing this first phase of testing is a significant feat for any eVTOL company and shows the strength of our aircraft, team, and our partners.”
