Vertical Aerospace completes 1st piloted Valo eVTOL flight in UK.
Technology
Big news for future flyers: Vertical Aerospace just pulled off the first piloted flight of their full-scale Valo eVTOL (that's electric vertical takeoff and landing) prototype in the UK on June 5, 2026.
This marks a major step toward making air taxis a reality by 2028.
Valo tilt-rotor seats 5, 1,500 pre-orders
Test pilot Paul Stone got the green light from the Civil Aviation Authority and took Valo for its debut spin at 8:49am.
The aircraft uses tilt-rotor tech to carry one pilot and four passengers up to 161km at speeds of 242km/h, and there are already around 1,500 pre-orders from big names like American Airlines and Japan Airlines.
Next up: a Critical Design Review to lock in its final certification-ready design.