UK air taxi maker Vertical reveals first untethered eVTOL test flight

The UK developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL), Vertical Aerospace, says it has completed the first untethered test flight of its future battery-powered air taxi, propelling it into an elite of sector startups that have managed to both produce prototypes and get them aloft.

London-based Vertical announced it had conducted the “look, no hands, Ma” operation of its VX4 eVTOL at the private aviation Cotswold Airport near the capital, noting the air taxi was put through “a series of rigorous, remotely-piloted ‘thrustborne’ test flights.” The untethered outing opens the way for further unassisted trials of the craft, which is seeking concurrent operational certification in both the UK and European Union. 

Read more: Vertical Aerospace to obtain concurrent UK and EU certification 

Vertical said its prototype air taxi had reached target speeds of 40 mph, with a video released of the flight showing the…