Vertical Aerospace, a global aerospace and technology company pioneering electric aviation, announced a landmark achievement in aviation history: piloted thrustborne transition by a full-scale eVTOL aircraft, taking off vertically like a helicopter and transitioning seamlessly into wingborne flight like a fixed-wing aircraft.

This milestone unlocks the defining capability of eVTOL aviation and places Vertical at the forefront of the global advanced air mobility industry.

This marks a first for a piloted, full-scale eVTOL aircraft of this class operating under the oversight of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which is working in close collaboration with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) toward certification of Vertical’s electric aircraft, Valo.

This is the most significant technical milestone in Vertical’s ten-year history and represents the completion of the first half of the two-way transition sequence. In two-way transition, the aircraft takes off vertically, flies on the wing, and then decelerates to land vertically — without the need for a runway, enabling seamless point to point flight from helipads, vertiports and rooftops.

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 front propellers tilted forward, enabling a smooth acceleration into wingborne flight as the rear propellers stowed, followed by a conventional runway landing.

This flight demonstrates the aircraft’s ability to perform one of the most complex challenges in aviation: transferring lift from propellers to wings in real-world conditions, at full scale.

This milestone was achieved concurrently with Vertical announcing an agreement in principle for a financing package of up to $850 million on March 30th, 2026, to provide immediate capital and access to additional flexible capital as the Company continues to progress towards type certification and the commencement of commercial operations.

A systematic approach towards two-way transition

This achievement builds on nearly two years of piloted flight testing under strict regulatory oversight. During this time, the aircraft has demonstrated all key phases of eVTOL flight, including hover, vertical take-off, wingborne flight, and vertical landing. Additional milestones include the first winged eVTOL flight in open European airspace and an airport-to-airport flight at the Royal International Air Tattoo.

Vertical is systematically expanding the transition envelope from both ends — accelerating from hover and decelerating from wingborne flight — with this latest flight completing the former.

Supporting certification

Each expansion of the flight envelope is conducted under a strict Permit to Fly regime and contributes directly to the certification path for Valo, Vertical’s commercial aircraft.

Every test flight is supported by extensive structural testing, systems validation, simulator work, and the submission and review of detailed evidence to regulators before progressing further.

Vertical’s piloted flight test programme explainer:

Phase 1: Tethered – stabilised hover while tethered (Completed September 2024)
Phase 2: Thrustborne – vertical take-off, landing and low-speed manoeuvres (Completed February 2025)
Phase 3: Wingborne – conventional take-off, flight and landing (Completed September 2025)
Phase 4: Transition – transitioning between thrustborne and wingborne flight
Thrustborne transition (vertical take-off to wingborne flight): Completed April 2026
Two-way transition (including return to vertical landing): In progress