Vertical Aerospace completes horizontal flight transition

Vertical Aerospace Achieves Historic Piloted Thrustborne Transition of its Full-Scale eVTOL Aircraft Prototype

Vertical Aerospace has achieved piloted thrustborne transition of a full-scale eVTOL aircraft, taking off vertically like a helicopter and transitioning seamlessly into wingborne flight like a fixed-wing aircraft. On April 2nd, 2026, Test Pilot Paul Stone flew the transition sequence at Vertical’s Flight Test Centre at Cotswold Airport. The aircraft took off vertically before the

Vertical Aerospace completes horizontal flight transition

Vertical Aerospace has successfully completed the first piloted thrust-borne flight transition of its full-scale eVTOL demonstrator. The flight took place on April 2, 2026, although it was officially announced four days later.  During the flight, which was conducted at Vertical Aerospace’s test area at Cotswold Airport (GBA) in southwest England under the supervision of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the aircraft took off vertically and …