SIMON Davis strapped in his seatbelt, pushed forward the joystick in front of him, and blasted his ‘flying taxi’ straight up into the air.
It might sound like a scene from futuristic cartoon The Jetsons, but The Sun watched it happen live at Cotswolds Airport – paving the way for Uber-style airborne trips across Britain’s skies.
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The Sun visited Kemble, Gloucestershire, where elite pilot Simon – who is used to flying Royal Air Force Tornadoes – is now making flights in the VX4 – a new type of ‘taxi’ aircraft.
Cruising at speeds of 150 miles per hour, it’s set to slash hour-long car journey times to just 11 minutes, by soaring straight over buildings, roads and traffic.
During a trial flight, The Sun saw how the VX4, made by British firm Vertical Aerospace, could transform commutes without even needing a runway.
The aircraft – which has cheaper upkeep than a helicopter and is much quieter – hops straight up into the air, whizzing up to four passengers to their destination in minutes.
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Taxi ‘Top Gun’
The Sun spoke the pioneering British firm’s “Top Gun” Simon Davis, who is piloting these early trial flights for the “flying taxi” – set to be mostly used for shorter, regional journeys.
Simon is chief test pilot at Vertical Aerospace, and has been at the helm of more than 80 types of aircraft throughout his career.
“It’s a bit like a helicopter when it takes off and lands, in that it can take off and land vertically,” he told The Sun from the cockpit of a XV4 prototype. “But the flight controls are completely different.”
He added: “We’ve taken miniaturised digital flight controls and completely automated the flying experience of the pilot.
“So I’ve got what look like conventional controls, but really I’m just telling the aircraft where I want to go, and then the flight control computers work out how to get there.
“This aircraft is really, really easy to fly. We’ve made it as simple as possible. The aircraft hovers itself. It flies like a big drone, effectively.”
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Uber-easy flight controls
The battery-powered aircraft leaves the ground vertically, then flies along like an aeroplane with a wing and tilting front propellers.
“My background’s in aerospace engineering, but then I joined the Air Force as a pilot. I flew fighters and Tornados for 16 years in the Air Force,” said Davis.
“I trained as a test pilot with the US Navy. I’ve been out with the Air Force in civil aerospace for 10 years. I’ve flown helicopters, airships, gliders, aeroplanes, big and small.”
Yet, the VX4 is so easy to fly, novice pilots and even kids can master the flight simulator controls within five to 10 minutes, according to Davis.
The flight control computers fly the aircraft for you, just tell it where you want to go. That makes it really safe because it’s so simple.
Simon Davis, chief test pilot at Vertical Aerospace
He added: “Our flight controls in the VX4 make the aircraft really, really simple to fly.
“So the flight control computers fly the aircraft for you, just tell it where you want to go. That makes it really safe because it’s so simple.
“You’ve got time and capacity to think about other things, to manage the mission, weather and air traffic.”
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An exciting time in aviation
While the VX4 may be easier to fly than traditional aircraft, pilots still require a commercial licence, as well as extra flight training inside the air taxi itself, before being able to take on passengers.
Davis is currently flying a prototype of the VX4, which is expected to largely resemble the final product, except its taxi cab-style cabin has been omitted.
As chief test pilot, Davis has flown the VX4 throughout Vertical’s second phase of testing – a total of 20 flights and ground tests so far.
Unlike the final product, the prototype is fitted with an ejector seat for safety, which Davis has fortunately never had to use.
He is currently flying the second VX4 prototype, while the third is being built.
[The] electrification of aviation is so exciting… So to be involved at this early stage in making this technology a reality is a real privilege.
Simon Davis, chief test pilot at Vertical Aerospace
Though Vertical anticipates there will be six test models in total.
The prototype’s battery charges in just 30 minutes, but the team aims to halve this by the time orders for the XV4 start going out in 2028.
“I’m an engineer at heart and a real nerd for anything that flies,” Davis continued.
“But [the] electrification of aviation is so exciting… So to be involved at this early stage in making this technology a reality is a real privilege.”
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Four tiers of testing
Vertical is currently in the second phase of four tiers of testing.
The VX4 has already completed the first phase, proving it can perform a stabilised hover while loosely tethered to the ground.
It is currently progressing through the second ‘thrustborne’ phase, which has the VX4 taking off and landing vertically, as well as moving forward slowly with height granted by the propellers.
The next phase will be ‘wingborne’, where the VX4 will take-off, fly and land like a conventional aircraft, with a lift generated by the wing.
It will also fly higher and further – finally putting its 100mile battery capacity to the test, without exhausting it.
We expect that the first application will be to and from the airports, and this is going to be a huge time saver.
David King, chief engineer at Vertical Aerospace
The fourth and final phase will master the transition between thrustborne and wingborne flight – propeller-assisted and wing-assisted flight.
The air taxi is expected to complete the remaining three phases and receive the green light from the UK’s aerospace regulator within the next three years, according to David King, Vertical’s chief engineer.
“The VX4 will be certified by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in 2028, and initial deliveries will take place right here in the UK,” he said.
“We expect that the first application will be to and from the airports, and this is going to be a huge time saver.”
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A ‘mind-blowing’ experience
Vertical has already mapped out thousands of routes that its air taxis could revolutionise.
Like Battersea in London to Heathrow Airport – a journey that would usually take at least an hour with mild traffic.
In the VX4, with three pals and eight suitcases, you could travel from Battersea to Heathrow in only 12 minutes.
Likewise, Cambridge to Heathrow in under 30 minutes – a quarter of the time you’d spend in a car, wedged between traffic.
“It’s going to be a bit more expensive than a taxi,” said King. “But a lot cheaper than a helicopter. So it’s something people can really use.”
Vertical haven’t revealed any starting prices, but says flight costs may start at a premium in the beginning before eventually coming down.
A one-way helicopter trip can cost anywhere between £2,500 and £4,000 for what would be an hour’s drive.
The VX4 air taxi can come to any UK city or town with a helipad or airport – like London, Manchester, Sheffield, or even Penzance from the local Land’s End Airport.
It crunches the distance by flying at 150mph – albeit a fraction of the speed a commercial carrier flies.
Fortunately, it doesn’t share the same airspace as the big dogs, flying underneath larger passenger planes instead.
King foresees ‘highways in the sky’ with air taxis zooming above cities and islands, leaving traffic jams behind like a bad dream.
You’ll be flying at low level over urban environments around towns and cities. I think it’s going to blow people’s minds.
Simon Davis, chief test pilot at Vertical Aerospace
Passengers will also have a rare, low-level, birds-eye view of cities, added Davis.
Plus, everyone will have their own window.
“I think we’ll be able to give a much more personal experience to people that fly,” he said.
“People will see more of the mechanisms of what it takes to actually go flying. You’re much closer to the action.
“You’ll be flying at low level over urban environments around towns and cities. I think it’s going to blow people’s minds.
“It’s going to be so much fun. And a practical way of moving around as well.”
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FLYING TAXI VS CAR – THE JOURNEYS COMPARED
Here’s how much time Vertical Aerospace reckons you’ll save in a VX4…
Battersea to London Heathrow
Distance: 16 miles
- VX4: 12 minutes
- Road: 60 minutes
- Rail: 65 minutes
Miami airport to Fort Lauderdale
Distance: 30 miles
- VX4: 11 minutes
- Road: 60 minutes
- Rail: 65 minutes
Yumeshima Port to Osaka International Airport
Distance: 12 miles
- VX4: 9 minutes
- Road: 40 minutes
The quiet life
The disruptions to people living in cities, or quiet islands where there are few routes to the mainland, will be limited, according to Vertical.
While the company will contribute towards busier skies, it says its air taxis will produce zero emissions – and about as much noise as a refrigerator.
The VX4, when it cruises over top of you, you will not hear it… It will fly right over your head and part your hair, and you will not hear it coming.
David King, chief engineer at Vertical Aerospace
“The VX4, when it cruises over top of you, you will not hear it,” said King. “It will fly right over your head and part your hair, and you will not hear it coming.”
Vertical’s air taxis are set to rely on existing infrastructure – all the helipads that are currently active – as well as future vertiports like the Bicester Aerodome that is currently being built.
Although sightings of the VX4 may be isolated to affluent areas of London and Fort Lauderdale in the early days, King and the team have stressed they don’t want it to become a “plaything for rich people”.
“We’re working with the government agencies right now to find the areas where [the VX4 is] best suited for the infrastructure to be able to get people in and around the congested areas,” added King.
“What we expect is that the infrastructure will continue to grow. We’re seeing across the world investments that are coming in. Some of these investments are private, some are public.”
Several UK infrastructure projects, like Bicester’s vertiport, have been sponsored by the government-backed scheme Innovate UK Future Flight Challenge.
Once Bicester’s vertiport is complete, which is expected to be early this year, it’ll be over to Davis to take the VX4 out for a spin in the ‘real world’.
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