Volz Servos contributes to Vertical’s eVTOL two-way piloted transition milestone

Aircraft switched from helicopter mode to airplane mode and back in one continuous flight

In April 2026, Simon Davies, Chief Test Pilot at Vertical Aerospace, successfully completed a full two-way piloted transition flight in Vertical’s full-scale prototype – an electric aircraft featuring actuation technology from Volz Servos.

The German company’s DA 30-HT, DA 30-HT-D and DA 58-D actuators are responsible for controlling all the prototype’s flight-control surfaces. Volz also implemented the Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol in these servos.

Vertical is now the second company globally to complete a two-way piloted transition flight in a full-scale tiltrotor eVTOL and the first to do so under civil aviation Design Organization Approval regulatory oversight.

“This is a highly significant milestone for us. It validates the defining capability of our aircraft and marks a major step forward on our path to certification and commercial service. It also proves that we are at the forefront of this emerging industry,” says Jenny Harcourt, Vertical VP Procurement & Supply Chain. “And it is Volz’s achievement too.”

“eVTOLs are a new category of aircraft and have to prove that they are safe to fly over densely populated urban areas,” says Volz CEO Phillipp Volz. “We are extremely proud to have contributed to Vertical completing a piloted transition flight in a full-scale tilt-rotor aircraft in regulated airspace, under a CAA Design Organization Approval.”

With all phases of flight now demonstrated, Vertical is moving on to the next stages of the programme, including progressing through Critical Design Review, when the aircraft design is locked, and building the first Valo pre-production aircraft, with certification targeted for 2028.