With 1,500 pre-orders to fill with customers across four continents, U.K. startup Vertical Aerospace has a steep hill to climb when it comes to building, flight testing, and type certifying its eVTOL aircraft around the world.
The company is working with the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to obtain type certification, and is relying on concurrent validation with other aviation agencies in order to see its aircraft fly with potential customers around the world, including Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, Japan Airlines, GOL and Bristow.
Vertical recently said the CAA has reaffirmed its agreement to cooperate with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on certification activities for the VX4 aircraft. In 2022, the CAA announced plans to adopt the same standards used by EASA, known as Special Conditions (SC)-VTOL, as the basis for eVTOL certification in the U.K.
“The decision to adopt SC-VTOL as our certification basis will support U.K. manufacturers and enable them to easily access the global market for eVTOL aircraft,” Rob Bishton of the CAA said in a statement at the time.
Vertical CEO Stuart Simpson said that observing regulators “like the CAA and EASA working closely together paves the way for a more seamless, faster route to certification. I’m extremely proud of our team in getting us to this point as we continue this amazing journey to make electric flight a reality.”
Along with the U.K. and Europe, Vertical said it has active certification validation projects with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC), and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB). The path to concurrent certification might be made easier as more and more agencies work to harmonize eVTOL certification regulations.
Vertical also announced on July 10 an expansion of its design organization approval (DOA) scope by the CAA, which was originally issued by the aviation authority in March 2023.
The DOA authorizes the company to conduct design activities and issue design approvals within the DOA’s scope of approval, including those related to the flight control, avionics, and electrical systems. This is expected to streamline the steps toward obtaining type certification.
“This is another positive step forward in recognizing that Vertical has the engineering capability to obtain certification for the VX4 aircraft,” Simpson said.
Vertical’s piloted, four-passenger VX4 aircraft is designed to fly at top speeds of 200 miles per hour (322 kilometers per hour), with a range of more than 100 miles (161 kilometers). The company is developing its aircraft using its own proprietary battery and propeller technology, as well as working with leading aerospace companies, including GKN Aerospace, Honeywell, Leonardo, Hanwha, Solvay, and Molicel.
Vertical said it will soon complete the assembly of its full-scale VX4 prototype and will begin its piloted flight test program at its flight test center at Cotswold Airport.
