Vertical Aerospace completes piloted thrustborne transition in full-scale eVTOL aircraft

UK-based electric aviation company Vertical Aerospace has achieved a piloted thrustborne transition in its full-scale eVTOL aircraft Valo, completing a vertical take-off before accelerating seamlessly into wingborne flight — a milestone the company describes as the defining capability of eVTOL aviation.

According to Business Wire, the flight took place on 2 April 2026 at Vertical's Flight Test Centre at Cotswold Airport, with test pilot Paul Stone at the controls. The aircraft lifted off vertically before its front propellers tilted forward, enabling acceleration into wingborne flight as the rear propellers stowed, followed by a conventional runway landing.

The milestone represents the completion of the first half of the two-way transition sequence, which requires an aircraft to take off vertically, fly on the wing, decelerate and land vertically without a runway. The return-to-vertical phase remains in progress.

The flight was conducted under a strict Permit to Fly regime overseen by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, which is working in close collaboration with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency toward type certification of Valo.

Chief Executive Stuart Simpson said the achievement demonstrated that Vertical had solved the hardest engineering challenges and had the regulatory relationships to complete certification. "We now have the financial foundation to see this through to commercial service," he said.

Chief Engineer David King described the transition as a pivotal technical proof point, confirming the core performance of Vertical's distributed electric propulsion and tiltrotor technology at full scale.

The flight milestone coincides with Vertical's announcement of an agreement in principle for a financing package of up to $850 million (€778 million), secured on 30 March 2026.

Learn more about how Vertical Aerospace achieves historic piloted thrustborne transition by reading the full announcement.