Vertical Aerospace makes first European electric vertical take-off flight

Vertical Aerospace (EVTL) announced it has made European aviation history with the first-ever piloted wingborne flight of a winged electric vertical take-off and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft in open airspace. Soaring across the UK countryside from Cotswold Airport, the VX4 prototype demonstrated controlled wingborne flight in open airspace for the first time, marking a critical step toward commercial deployment as part of Vertical’s Flightpath 2030 strategy. The UK Civil Aviation Authority, or CAA, approved the flight through open airspace at Cotswold Airport, the UK’s largest private airport, by extending Vertical’s Permit to Fly. Vertical is currently the only company globally flying a piloted winged eVTOL prototype that’s been developed under a Design Organisation Approval from the CAA – a DOA is required to hold a Type Certificate, required for commercial passenger operations. In Phase 3 of testing the VX4 operates like a conventional aircraft using lift generated by its wings, rather than relying solely on rotor thrust. This low-power, quiet, and range-efficient mode of flight is key to making electric air travel practical, scalable, and economically viable.