In the UK, aviation startup Vertical Aerospace has ambitious plans to launch the first certified winged electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft worldwide.

Vertical Aerospace’s VA-1X winged model will be able to carry up to five people, a pilot and four passengers, reaching cruise speeds of 150 mph and covering up to 100 miles in distance. Journeys that would take two hours by car or train could take just half an hour in the VA-1X. And compared to a helicopter, Vertical Aerospace said its model will be 30 times quieter, meaning it can more easily blend into inner-city life and freely access local heliports and airports where noise regulations currently restrict the number of flights per day.

Quiet, efficient and carbon-emission free, eVTOL aircrafts are increasingly recognized as the next urban mobility solution. With innovators like Vertical Aerospace making impressive ground, experts agree it’s not a case of if eVTOL aircrafts will enter the market, but when. Vertical Aerospace is on course to begin commercial flights in 2024 and is building a demonstrator, which it plans to fly in the third quarter of 2021.

Behind the scenes, the company is designing and developing the aircraft from the ground up, building not just a product but the processes to support it too.

“We’re in the process of writing a new chapter in the aviation industry,” said Eric Samson, head of engineering at Vertical Aerospace. “We’re working with emerging technologies and defining a new certification basis.”

All of Vertical Aerospace’s product development is managed through the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform on Cloud, allowing the company to innovate at speed and meet its ambitious targets.

To find out more about this exciting project and how Vertical Aerospace plans to be first to market, read the full story here.