Vertical Aerospace

Vertical Aerospace is a British aerospace manufacturer based in Bristol, England that designs and builds vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) electrically powered aircraft.

Vertical Aerospace
TypePrivately held company
IndustryAerospace
Founded2016
FounderStephen Fitzpatrick
Headquarters
Bristol
,
UK
Key people
Stephen Fitzpatrick
ProductsVTOL aircraft
Number of employees
120
Websitewww.vertical-aerospace.com

History

The company was founded in 2016 by Stephen Fitzpatrick, an ex-Formula One team owner, and founder and CEO of OVO Energy.[1]

The company flew its first prototype aircraft – an electrically powered quadcopter that weighed 750kg, named POC[2] – in June 2018 at Cotswold Airport, Kemble, Gloucestershire.[3][4][5] The aircraft, which was unmanned and remotely controlled, is capable of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL)[6] and has four electric engines, each inside a ducted fan.[7]

In 2019 they launched their second aircraft, the Seraph, making them the first company in the world to release flight footage of an electric VTOL aircraft capable of carrying 250kg.[8] In 2020, the company released the VA-1X, a significant departure from the company’s previous multicopter design.[9] They also acquired Vertical Advanced Engineering, who will apply the latest technologies and agile processes from F1 to the development of eVTOL aircraft.[10]

In 2021, they joined a consortium of urban air mobility and aviation companies that will work with the Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom) as part of its Future Air Mobility Regulatory Sandbox.[11]

Design and development

The company originally stated it is developing aircraft that it hopes to certify for commercial flight by 2022.[12][13][14] In its most recent announcements, it appears to be targeting 2024 for commercial launch.[15]

The company's earlier concepts used a multicopter approach for thrust and lift. VA-1X, by contrast, primarily relies on the wing for lift during most of flight. This shift follows a broader move across the eVTOL industry towards wing-borne lift + cruise and vectored thrust concepts, due to the efficiency gains wing-borne lift offers during the cruise portion of flight.[16]

  • Vertical Aerospace's Seraph on display at Canary Wharf
  • Vertical Aerospace's VA-1X

References
  1. "VERTICAL AEROSPACE LTD". Companies House. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  2. "POC". Vertical Aerospace. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  3. Lyon, John (13 September 2018). "The UK's Flying Car Is All Electric Under the Bonnet". Robb Report.
  4. "Watch a test flight of Vertical Aerospace's flying taxi". Aerospace Testing International. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  5. "Vertical Aerospace Flies eVTOL". AVweb. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  6. "Energy Company CEO Leads Successful U.K. Test of Flying Taxi". Bloomberg. 10 September 2018.
  7. "This 28-person startup took a big first step towards launching a nationwide flying taxi service by 2022". Business Insider. 10 September 2018.
  8. "Seraph". Vertical Aerospace. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  9. "Vertical Aerospace Reveals 'VA-1X' Air Taxi, Targets 2024 for Commercial Operations". Aviation Today. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  10. "About Us". Vertical Advanced Engineering. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  11. "Eve-led aviation consortium joins UK Civil Aviation Authority to develop Urban Air Mobility Concept of Operations". TravelDailyNews International. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  12. "Vertical Aerospace makes 'flying cars' with more grounded aspirations". The Verge. 10 September 2018.
  13. "The UK has its first flying taxi, but don't expect any rides just yet". Wired. 10 September 2018.
  14. "Electric air taxi prototype makes flight debut". newatlas.com.
  15. "Vertical Aerospace Reveals 'VA-1X' Air Taxi, Targets 2024 for Commercial Operations". Aviation Today. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  16. "Is There Room for Multicopters in Electric VTOL?". Aviation Today. 31 August 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
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