Vertical Aerospace Ltd. is an aerospace manufacturer based in Bristol, England. It designs and builds zero emission, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) electrically powered aircrafOur full-scale electric aircraft successfully flew at Cotswold Airport, reaching our target speed of 40kts (just over 40 mph or 70 kmh) in a series of rigorous, remotely-piloted ‘thrustborne’ test flights.
source.image: Vertical Aerospace
The only full-scale eVTOL aircraft in the country, the VX4 lifted, hovered, flew and landed, powered solely by the thrust of the cutting-edge battery-powered propulsion system. Electric flight is within reach.
source.image: Vertical Aerospace
Vertical Aerospace says that the VX4 is a piloted, zero emissions electric vertical take off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle. They say the VX4 will have a range of over 100 miles (160.9 km) and capacity for 4 passengers, and a pilot, and be quieter than a helicopter. The proposed aircraft is intended to operate in and out of cities and other confined locations. It would rely on its fixed wing for lift during most of flight.
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This shift follows a broader move across the eVTOL industry towards wing-borne lift + cruise and vectored thrust concepts, due to the efficiency gains wing-borne lift offers during the cruise portion of flight. The aircraft accomplished its first takeoff and landing while tethered to the ground in September 2022.The aircraft has orders from American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and AirAsia, among others.
Performance targets were generally exceeded by 10 to 30 percent during hover and low speed flights. The prototype performed especially well in sustained hover, typically the most challenging regime for a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, where it maintained level flight for longer than anticipated.
