Vertical Aerospace has progressed to the next stage of flight testing its VX4 prototype, completing initial piloted low-speed thrustborne sorties.
Taking place at the company’s flight-test centre at Kemble airfield in southwest England, the so-called Phase 2B tests followed receipt of an expanded Permit to Fly from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Flown by chief test pilot Simon Davies, the sorties in early January included roll, yaw and spot-turn manoeuvres. Speeds during Phase 2B will be capped at 20kt (37km/h).
First flight of the latest VX4 prototype took place in July 2024 and since then the developer has worked to expand the envelope of the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, moving from hovering to low-speed flights using the lift from its eight propellers.
Speaking to reporters in late December, Davies praised the VX4’s performance: “It’s starting to feel like a real airplane,” he said. “We are really reaping the benefit of having a pilot on board as well.”
Vertical is now working with the CAA to obtain permission for wingborne flights – Phase 3 of its test programme. While the VX4 is equipped with digital automatic flight controls, Phase 3A will also assess the aircraft’s performance with the pilot manually directing the control surfaces and the speed and pitch of the forward rotors.
The VX4 features flaps, flaperons and ailerons on the wing, plus four ruddervators on the V-tail.
A further step, Phase 4, will assess the transition between the two flight modes, which takes place between 40-75kt.
Certification and service entry for the VX4 are anticipated in 2028.
Meanwhile, Vertical has bolstered its team, appointing Tim Eldridge as test pilot. Expansion of its flight-test capacity is vital ahead of the arrival of the next VX4 prototype.
Currently in final assembly at partner GKN Aerospace’s Global Technology Centre in Bristol, the eVTOL aircraft is expected to fly in the second quarter.
