Vertical Aerospace in first flight of VX4
UK startup Vertical Aerospace has flown its full sized prototype electric vertical takeoff (eVTOL) aircraft for the first time.
The company received the first eVTOL Design Organisation Approval from the UK;s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) back in March for its VX4 aircraft. After technical familiarisations, the aircraft flew from an airfield in the Cotswolds.
The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) has also accepted the VX4 validation programme, adding to certification applications in the Europe and the US.
European aerospace companies cannot hold a Type Certificate without being granted a DOA which authorises Vertical to conduct design activities and issue design approvals within the DOA’s scope of approval.
As an approved Design Organisation, Vertical has increasing authority and privileges through the design and certification programme of the VX4. The electric aircraft has a 1MW power train and can carry up to four passengers and a pilot up to 100 miles in under 30 minutes.
The process for achieving DOA involved a rigorous assessment of Vertical’s procedures, its quality management system, the competence of its technical workforce, and the necessary facilities and equipment to support the design activities to certify the VX4 aircraft.
The CAA is adopting the EU Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) Means of Compliance to SC-VTOL, the standards against which European and now UK manufacturers will design eVTOLs.
This positions the UK, alongside Europe, as a market with a clear regulatory framework for the design and manufacture of these novel electric aircraft.
Vertical has a deal with Japan Airlines (JAL) for up to 100 VX4 pre-orders with Avolon, as well as with Marubeni Corporation for up to 200 VX4 pre-orders.
“I am immensely proud that Vertical is the first British electric aircraft company in history to receive a DOA from the UK aviation regulator,” said Stephen Fitzpatrick, Vertical’s Founder and CEO. “This approval is a critical step forward in our mission to decarbonise air travel and bring the UK’s first electric aircraft to market.
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