RESEARCH TOOLS
Browse aircraft, compare technical architectures, track certification progress and see how we source the data.
How eVTOL programs choose between motor topologies, drivetrain layouts, and redundancy strategies — the engineering tradeoffs behind every propulsion decision, not just what's newest.
Distributed electric propulsion vs. tilt-rotor vs. lift-plus-cruise — side-by-side engineering comparisons of how different eVTOL programs solve the same problems differently.
How the FAA and EASA are building certification frameworks for powered-lift aircraft, and what actually separates a test flight from a type certificate.
Ongoing, source-by-source tracking of certification progress, funding, and partnerships across Joby, Archer, and the other leading eVTOL programs.
PROGRAM UPDATES
Vertical opened a 60,000 sq ft Valo Assembly Centre at Cotswold Airport on 25 September 2026. The site will assemble certification-conforming Valo aircraft, with the first build expected to start in Q4 2027, and retrofit a prototype for hybrid-electric flight testing in H1 2027. Vertical says early production capacity is more than 25 aircraft a year, and it plans to announce a separate full-scale production facility in Q4 2026. Type certification remains a company target for 2029.
Vertical began a review of strategic alternatives, including strategic and financial partnerships, to fund the next phase of the Valo programme, and retained Jefferies as financial adviser. No deadline was set and the review may not lead to a transaction. Vertical says flight testing, certification work and customer commitments continue unchanged.
Bye Aerospace flew the full-scale eFlyer 2 prototype for the first time on 24 September 2026 at Centennial Airport, Colorado, nine days after the FAA issued it an Experimental special airworthiness certificate. The flight opens the envelope-expansion test campaign; it is not a type-certification milestone.
The US Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period for Archer's acquisition of Boeing's Wisk Aero, Insitu and SkyGrid expired on 18 September 2026. Other closing conditions and regulatory approvals remain; Archer expects to close by the end of 2026. Wisk Generation 6 remains in FAA type certification.
BETA began eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) operations with its conventional-takeoff ALIA CX300 in North Carolina on 17 September 2026, flying more than 1,300 nm of simulated medical-supply missions under the state's eLIFT programme. Later in September it flew its first Texas eIPP mission with Metro Aviation and Washington County EMS under Project Nexus. These are pre-certification operational demonstrations, not FAA type certification.
BETA’s Q2 2026 update reported FAA acceptance of the CX300’s complete set of compliance requirements and closure of the Requirements Definition phase. This is a certification-program milestone, not Type Certificate issuance.
