has successfully completed its maiden test flight, saying its Vertiia Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing Vehicle is the first by an Australian company to get off the ground, and that it is a major milestone in the future of travel.from investors including IP Group Australia, TelstraSuper, Hostplus, St Baker EnergyAMSL Aero’s Andrew Moore and Siobhan Lyndon with the Vertiia aircraft, which has successfully completed its maiden tethered test flight.
“It is just a huge milestone, it’s a little bit like getting a rocket off the launchpad – it’s a really big deal,” Mr Moore said of the test flight, which was conducted by remote control in the Central West of NSW.“There is always a degree of uncertainty, because you can do all sorts of modelling, lots of analysis and lots of ground testing, but the way the aircraft behaves when it first breaks free from the earth always has a certain level of unpredictability.
Two US operators, Blade and BETA, launched electric air taxi trial flights in New York last week. Mr Moore said Vertiia was the most advanced and efficient eVTOL in development, and was targeting longer distance travel than international rivals. “That’s a great aspiration, but there’s a lot of things that need to fall into place before that will happen.”
“Vertiia and eVTOL aircraft use what’s known as distributed electric propulsion, and that allows you to manage failures in a way similar to how a 747 or a large transport aircraft manages failures.
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