Vertical Aerospace Ltd has taken another significant step in its testing programme by successfully completing its first piloted thrustborne flight manoeuvres. 

The milestone was achieved after the business received approval from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to expand its Permit to Fly, enabling Vertical to progress from piloted thrustborne hover to piloted thrustborne low-speed flight manoeuvres at altitude. The latest flight included roll, yaw and spot turn manoeuvres and was flown by Simon Davies, Vertical’s Chief Test Pilot. 

Completing the initial piloted thrustborne manoeuvres at its Flight Test Centre made Vertical only the second company worldwide to achieve this critical step using a full scale vectored thrust eVTOL aircraft. 

Vertical’s VX4 aircraft has now progressed from piloted hover flight to piloted, low-speed manoeuvres using lift generated by the propellers. Thrustborne flights are designed to assess the aircraft’s stability, battery efficiency, control characteristics, aerodynamics, structural and dynamic loads and performance across different speeds, enabling further assessment of how the VX4 behaves under real-world flight conditions.

At the same time, Vertical will work with the CAA to expand its Permit to Fly, clearing the path for Phase 3 — wingborne flight tests. This phase, which includes flying beyond the airfield boundaries, will effectively serve as a mini-certification of the prototype, laying the groundwork for the VX4’s full certification. 

To support the growing demands of its flight test programme, Vertical has appointed Tim Eldridge as test pilot. With over two decades of flight test experience in the Royal Navy, including testing aircraft such as the Sea King, Merlin, Chinook, and Lynx helicopters, he brings his expertise to the team. His prior roles, including at Babcock, with whom Vertical is collaborating with on Emergency Medical Services (EMS), where he was a helicopter EMS pilot, as well as at QinetiQ and Airbus Helicopters further enhance Vertical’s flight test capabilities.