E-MOBILITY
redundancy as electricity is so easy to transport around the craft.” Another area where full-
size prototypes are so useful is demonstrating handling characteristics, a lot of which is dependent upon correctly sizing powertrain components, like motors and batteries. Three diff erent prototypes have been fl own so far, and another couple are on the horizon. “A lot of the challenge is how to get the thing to behave when it is close to the ground,” observes Cervenka. “The last one we fl ew was a winged vehicle, and all future examples will be too. In August, during one of our tests we had an incident with a propeller blade. Our investigation showed that it was an old design, and the adhesive failed during a deliberately challenging test where we switched off a motor. The software stepped in as expected, but when the part let go it broke a pylon and caused a short circuit which triggered a communication issue, meaning some of the other propellers ran at the wrong speed. Fortunately, it was right at the end of the session so we had already bagged a huge amount of useful data, and it proved to be a bit of a bonus for testing the other systems. So, despite the heavy landing, the battery didn’t catch fi re and we learnt a huge amount about the communication systems and the new prototypes have a totally
Three diff erent prototypes of the VX4 have been fl own so far
diff erent design and manufacturing method for the propellers.”
MAKING IT The company has a diff erent philosophy to most of its competitors. Instead of becoming a manufacturing hub, a strategic partnership approach has been adopted. Cervenka notes, “We chose established and knowledgeable suppliers such as GKN, Rolls-Royce and Honeywell because of the technology and certifi cation experience that they bring. Also they have spare capacity because of supply chain disruptions stemming from the pandemic.
Battery systems aside, much of the manufacturing will be carried out within their existing footprints.” Considering numbers, the company
forecasts a production run of hundreds per year by the end of the decade, which is well within the supplier’s range. Around 1,500 conditional orders have already been received, with plans to start series production by the end of 2026.
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Understanding avionics
The VX4 uses a fl y-by-wire system, where the pilot instructs the fl ight control computer where to go and it plans how to get there. Cervenka says, “There is no artifi cial intelligence. It is completely deterministic, and the computer massively simplifi es the pilot’s workload. If you go back to the Harrier jump jet days, the military had to rely on the very best pilots because fl ying VTOL aircraft is so diffi cult. In fact, Justin Payne, our Chief Test Pilot, was involved in the fi rst test fl ight of a fl y-by-wire Harrier,
which then lead to the X-35 followed by the F-35, the only supersonic VTOL. Some of the Honeywell technology we are using is a descendant of this, with diff erent programming in terms of the fl ight physics. It will be programmed to level A, the highest safety standard possible.” Considering autonomy,
Cervenka thinks there is a gradual pathway toward it, but not this decade. “To complicate matters it’s not the same everywhere in the world, and there is no current regulatory framework. Our
The VX4 in fl ight
philosophy is how do we make the aircraft more heavily automated to reduce the pilot’s workload? On day one, our pilots will be commercial pilots, but we would hope over time we will have people who have just got their license and the fi rst thing they will fl y will be a VX4.”
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