Advanced Mechanical Design Engineer

Vertical Aerospace wins CAA approval for public Valo flight demonstrations. Vertical Aerospace has received an expanded Permit to Fly from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, authorizing the company to conduct its first public demonstration flights away from Cotswold Airport. The regulatory approval was announced ahead of the Farnborough International Airshow, scheduled for July 20-24, 2026, where Vertical Aerospace plans to present updates on its Valo electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft program and hold meetings with investors. The expanded permit follows the company's completion of multiple piloted transition flights, including a two-way transition flight achieved in April 2026. Transition flight involves moving between vertical lift and wing-borne forward flight and is regarded as one of the most technically demanding stages in eVTOL aircraft development. Vertical said it became the first company to complete the milestone under the Design Organisation Approval oversight of the UK Civil Aviation Authority. Table of Contents Valo program moves toward Critical Design Review. Vertical Aerospace is now preparing to complete the Valo aircraft's Critical Design Review by the end of 2026. The review is intended to establish the certifiable design baseline for the aircraft, enabling the company to begin constructing and testing certification-conforming aircraft. According to Vertical, its recent transition-flight program has helped validate the core aerodynamic and flight-control technologies underpinning Valo's design. The company has also added another prototype to its flight-test fleet to increase testing capacity, support public demonstrations and contribute to the development of a hybrid-electric version of the aircraft. Vertical plans to bring an early production aircraft assembly facility online during the third quarter of 2026. It also expects to expand the Vertical Energy Centre, which develops and produces the company's proprietary battery technology, during the fourth quarter. However, the company has revised the expected timeline for Valo's type certification. Vertical now anticipates receiving certification in 2029 after reassessing the remaining certification workload, including the construction and testing of certification-conforming aircraft. The company had previously indicated that its earlier 2028 target faced increasing schedule risk. Vertical said its certification pathway remains established through engagement with the UK Civil Aviation Authority and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. Hybrid-Electric Valo targets defense and special missions. Alongside the all-electric passenger aircraft, Vertical Aerospace is developing a hybrid-electric Valo variant intended for longer-range and higher-payload missions. The company says the hybrid-electric configuration is being designed to provide a range of up to 1,000 miles and carry payloads of up to 1,100 kilograms over shorter distances. These characteristics could allow the aircraft to support defense, logistics and special-mission applications where mission endurance, payload capacity and deployment flexibility are more important than short-range urban passenger transport. Vertical has also highlighted the aircraft's intended low acoustic and thermal signatures. Such characteristics could be relevant to military missions requiring reduced detectability, particularly in contested or sensitive operating environments. Potential applications could include tactical resupply, medical evacuation, personnel movement, intelligence and surveillance support, maritime logistics and operations from dispersed or infrastructure-limited locations. The hybrid-electric aircraft will use the same basic Valo airframe as the all-electric version. This commonality is intended to reduce development time, support component sharing and limit operating and sustainment costs. Hybrid Propulsion system begins ground testing. Vertical's next-generation hybrid-electric propulsion system has begun testing on the company's Hybrid Propulsion Evaluation Rig, known as HYPER. The ground-test platform will allow engineers to evaluate the propulsion architecture, power-management systems and integration requirements before flight testing begins. Vertical expects to select a long-term turbogenerator supplier during 2026 and begin flight testing of the hybrid-electric aircraft in the first half of 2027. The development reflects growing interest across the aerospace sector in hybrid-electric aircraft capable of combining distributed electric propulsion with the greater endurance of conventional fuel-powered generators. For defense operators, hybrid-electric propulsion could potentially extend the utility of vertical-lift aircraft beyond the limited range commonly associated with battery-only eVTOL platforms. Nevertheless, the aircraft will still need to demonstrate operational reliability, maintainability, payload performance and survivability before military applications can be fully assessed. Vertical expands Valo industrial and supplier network. Vertical Aerospace has now engaged the key systems suppliers required for the planned commercial introduction of Valo. The company's industrial partners include Honeywell Aerospace, Aciturri, Hyundai WIA, Evolito, Syensqo, Isoclima and Astronics Corporation. Astronics was recently selected to provide Valo's low-voltage power-distribution system. The US-based company supplies technologies to several major aerospace manufacturers and aircraft programs, including Airbus, Boeing, Bell, Lockheed Martin and Gulfstream. Vertical continues to retain control of selected core technologies, including its battery and propeller systems, while relying on established aerospace suppliers for other certifiable components and manufacturing capabilities. The company reports approximately 1,500 conditional pre-orders for Valo, representing an estimated potential value of about $6 billion. Customers and commercial partners include American Airlines, Avolon, Bristow Group, GOL and Japan Airlines. Valo is being developed as a piloted, four-passenger eVTOL aircraft with zero operating emissions in its fully electric configuration. Vertical Aerospace Chief Executive Officer Stuart Simpson said the company is increasingly focused on meeting its certification objectives following the completion of multiple piloted transition flights and progress on the hybrid-electric program. The company is expected to provide further details on its funding position, capital resources and program development during its first-half 2026 business update on August 13. What comes next. The next major milestones for Vertical Aerospace will include the public demonstration flights authorized by the CAA, completion of the Valo Critical Design Review, selection of a hybrid-electric turbogenerator supplier and the start of hybrid aircraft flight testing. Progress in these areas will help determine whether Valo can move from prototype demonstration toward certification-conforming production and eventual commercial or defense operations. For the emerging military advanced-air-mobility market, the hybrid-electric variant may ultimately prove more operationally significant than the short-range all-electric model. Its potential combination of vertical takeoff, extended range, useful payload and reduced acoustic signature could address several logistics and special-mission requirements, although those capabilities remain subject to testing, certification and operational evaluation.

Horizon name Alexander as Chief Engineer, Certified Programmes. Horizon Aircraft has announced that it has appointed former Bombardier, CAE and Vertical Aerospace engineer Richard Alexander as its Chief Engineer of Certified Programmes. The company says the appointment comes as it looks to advance its certification strategy as well as mature engineering and commercialisation planning for the Cavorite X7 hybrid VTOL. Alexander come to the Canadian company with more than 38 years of aircraft development experience and has held a number of engineering leadership roles notably at Bombardier, where he worked on a number of programmes prior to becoming the Head of Flight Physics at Vertical Aerospace for its VX4 eVTOL program, and and most recently CAE's Electric Aircraft Integrator leading the battery-electric conversion of the Piper Archer training aircraft. "I am really excited to be on board with the Horizon Aircraft team to help develop a vehicle with real-life utility," stated Alexander seeking about the announcement, "The ability to take-off and land vertically using the distributed electric propulsion system and then deploy using conventional propulsion allows rapid, extended duration deployment to remote regions with little or no infrastructure, enabling a myriad of mission possibilities." Meanwhile, Horizon Aircraft Co-Founder and CEO Brandon Robinson added, "Richard's appointment brings exceptional engineering leadership and certification expertise to Horizon Aircraft. Welcoming him to our team will play a significant role in advancing the development and certification of our hybrid eVTOL and strengthen our path toward commercialisation." Image Horizon Aircraft