Vertical's VX4 completes a piloted transition from hover to wingborne flight

Vertical Aerospace/VX4

Test pilot Paul Stone flew Vertical's VX4 prototype through a full transition from vertical hover to winged flight at Cotswold Airport on April 2. The aircraft tilted its front propellers forward, accelerated into wing-supported flight, and landed on a runway, completing the first half of the two-way transition test.

• First piloted eVTOL transition from vertical hover to wingborne flight.
• Test pilot Paul Stone at Cotswold Airport, April 2, 2026.
• Tilted rotors forward, transitioned to wing lift, then conventional landing.
• Reverse transition (slowing from wing to hover) still to come.