Zero-emission aircraft designer and manufacturer AMSL Aero has completed the first free flight of Vertiia, Australia’s first passenger-capable, emission-free, long-range electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) aircraft.
The landmark flight is the first by an Australian-designed and built eVTOL, the new generation of aircraft that take off and land like a helicopter but fly fast and smoothly like a fixed-wing aeroplane. Since the first untethered flight, which took place earlier this month, Vertiia taken off, flown and landed successfully more than 50 times.
Vertiia is the most complex civil aircraft ever developed in Australia. It has been designed to fly up to 1,000 kilometres on hydrogen at a cruising speed of 300km/hour with zero carbon emissions, carrying up to four passengers and a pilot. AMSL Aero’s Vertiia customers are planning commercial flights following certification and regulatory approval planned in 2027.
The historic test flight was performed on battery power by remote control in the Central West region of New South Wales in accordance with Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulations. AMSL Aero will begin hydrogen-fuelled flight testing of Vertiia in 2025 having already broken records in 2023 by completing the first tethered battery-powered hover.
This year, AMSL Aero received deposits for 26 Vertiia aircraft orders from civil customers including 20 from Aviation Logistics, which operates the AirLink, AirMed and Chartair brands covering passenger services, aircraft charter, air freight and aeromedical flights across Australia.
“Watching Vertiia take to the sky in free flight was a breathtaking experience for our incredible team of engineers and me,” said AMSL Aero Co-founder Andrew Moore. “This landmark is proof that the design we pioneered seven years ago works, and it moves us closer to our goal of improving the lives of remote, rural and regional communities in Australia and around the world with an aircraft that conquers the tyranny of distance with zero emissions.”
“Today marks a huge milestone on AMSL Aero’s journey and places the company on a very short list of global leaders in advanced eVTOL development,” said CEO Max York. “Very few aircraft companies build a full-scale aircraft and get it safely off the ground. What AMSL Aero has achieved with a small, focused team is incredible and shows what can be done when you have a clear vision and amazing talent.”
