In April 2026, Vertical’s Chief Test Pilot Simon Davies completed the flight, switching from helicopter mode to airplane mode and back again in one continuous piloted flight. For tiltrotor eVTOL aircraft, this transition is one of the defining technical capabilities: vertical take-off, efficient wingborne flight and vertical landing all have to work together reliably.
Our advanced actuators — the DA 30-HT, DA 30-HT-D and DA 58-D — control all flight-control surfaces on Vertical’s prototype. We also implemented the Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol in these servos to support the demanding requirements of modern electric aviation.
With this achievement, Vertical is now the second company globally to complete a two-way piloted transition flight in a full-scale tiltrotor eVTOL — and the first to do so under civil aviation Design Organisation Approval regulatory oversight.
“This is a highly significant milestone for us. It validates the defining capability of our aircraft and marks a major step forward on our path to certification and commercial service. It also proves that we are at the forefront of this emerging industry,” says Jenny Harcourt, Vertical VP Procurement & Supply Chain. “And it is Volz’s achievement too.”
For us, this milestone is another strong example of why reliable, high-performance actuation is essential for the next generation of aircraft.
“eVTOLs are a new category of aircraft and have to prove that they are safe to fly over densely populated urban areas,” says our CEO Phillipp Volz. “We are extremely proud to have contributed to Vertical completing a piloted transition flight in a full-scale tiltrotor aircraft in regulated airspace, under a CAA Design Organisation Approval.”
With all phases of flight now demonstrated, Vertical is moving on to the next stages of the programme, including Critical Design Review, where the aircraft design is locked, and the build of the first Valo pre-production aircraft. Certification is targeted for 2028.
We are excited to support Vertical on this path and to help enable safe, precise and reliable flight-control performance in one of the most ambitious areas of advanced air mobility.
