Electric Aircraft Prototype Completes First Piloted Flight

Vertical Aerospace has completed the maiden piloted flight of its latest full-scale prototype at the company's Flight Test Centre in the UK. Test Pilot Paul Stone conducted the flight at on 5 June 2026, following a new Permit to Fly issued by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) after ground testing and aircraft validation.

The new prototype is the final aircraft to join Vertical's flight test fleet before Critical Design Review (CDR), which will establish the design baseline for certification. Following CDR, Vertical will begin preparations for assembly of its first pre-production aircraft. The company's existing prototype continues transition flight testing, having completed multiple piloted transition flights.

"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. Expanding the flight test fleet will help us validate the aircraft more quickly, reduce risk, and move more efficiently towards bringing Valo into service," said Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace.

The new prototype doubles Vertical's flight testing capacity and will progress through thrustborne, wingborne, and transition flight phases in its all-electric configuration. Vertical then intends to retrofit it for hybrid-electric flight testing, targeting applications across defence, logistics, and commercial sectors requiring greater range and payload capability.