Vertical Aerospace’s newest, and last, full-scale electric vehicle takeoff and landing (eVTOL) prototype has taken its first piloted flight.
On June 9, 2026, Vertical Aerospace announced that test pilot Paul Stone conducted the flight at 08:49, local time, on June 5, 2026, at its Flight Test Center.
With the additional aircraft, Vertical said the company would be able to “accelerate flight testing” and “expand” the campaign towards certification.
The prototype will undertake all flight test phases, including thrustborne, wingborne and transition flights. Once completed, Vertical intends to retrofit the aircraft for hybrid-electric flight testing.
“Getting our latest prototype into flight testing is an important milestone because it allows us to learn faster in real world conditions and keep building momentum towards certification,” Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace, said. “Expanding the flight test fleet will help us validate the aircraft more quickly, reduce risk, and move more efficiently towards bringing Valo into service.”
A new Permit to Fly to carry out the flight was granted by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) following extensive ground testing and aircraft validation activities.
“The new prototype is the final aircraft to join Vertical’s flight test fleet before the Company completes Critical Design Review (CDR), a major programme milestone that establishes the design baseline for certification,” a spokesperson for Vertical Aerospace said.
Following CDR, Vertical will begin preparations for assembly of its first pre-production aircraft.
The new prototype will also help to support upcoming piloted demonstrations, including a performance flight at this year’s Farnborough Airshow.
The prototype shares the same configuration as Vertical’s current full-scale aircraft which will continue transition flight testing.
According to Vertical, the eventual hybrid-electric variant is expected to support applications demanding greater range and payload capability across defense, logistics, and wider commercial sectors.