- Former EASA Certification Director joins Vertical to help lead
regulatory engagement
- Concurrent EASA and CAA certification agreed
- CAA approves Vertical’s Form 4 holders as part of DOA
approval
- On track to receive DOA later this year
- Vertical believes this DOA will be of the widest scope an eVTOL
manufacturer will have received to date
Vertical Aerospace (Vertical) [NYSE: EVTL], a global aerospace
and technology company that is pioneering zero emissions aviation,
today announces further progress on its path to certification,
including the appointment of the former European Union Aviation
Safety Agency’s (EASA) Certification Director, Trevor Woods, as
Director – Regulatory Affairs.
Concurrent EASA/CAA validation
Vertical is also pleased to announce that EASA has agreed to
concurrently validate the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA)
certification of its VX4 electric VTOL aircraft. In this concurrent
validation, the VX4 will be certificated by the UK CAA against
their stringent safety standards and in compliance with the similar
and equally stringent standards developed by EASA. This means that
the certification and validation processes will run simultaneously
in both regulatory jurisdictions, paving the way for the VX4 to
operate in both the UK and Europe from 2025.
Vertical believes this activity with both the CAA and EASA will
also support swift validation of the VX4 by other international
regulators, who respect the stringent safety standards imposed by
the UK and European regulators.
Vertical is seeking to conduct similar certification validation
efforts with other national aviation authorities where Vertical’s
customers operate, enabling the VX4 to be flown in these
jurisdictions. Vertical has already run project familiarisation
workshops with regulators in key territories including Japan,
Brazil and Singapore. Vertical will also seek validation by the
FAA, enabling entry into service with US operators.
Certification Progress
Vertical’s certification programme is progressing rapidly as it
targets entry into service in 2025. Vertical has submitted its
certification basis proposal, based on EASA’s established SC-VTOL
certification basis. Vertical expects to have this agreed with the
CAA later this year.
Vertical has also received notice that its three key nominated
managers (Form 4 Holders) have been accepted by the regulator as
competent to hold the roles. These approved managers are necessary
for Vertical to be granted Design Organisation Approval (DOA).
DOA (equivalent to the FAA’s Organization Designation
Authorization or ODA) is the approval from the regulator that an
aerospace company is certified as being competent and responsible
to hold a Type Certificate. Vertical’s DOA, when granted, will
cover the full scope required to hold a Type Certificate for a
commercial passenger carrying winged eVTOL.
Vertical believes this will be of the widest scope an eVTOL
manufacturer will have received to date, giving Vertical a
competitive edge when progressing towards Type Certification. A
Type Certificate is a formal recognition from the certifying
authority that the design of the aircraft is in compliance with all
applicable airworthiness requirements. Vertical expects to receive
DOA from the UK regulator later this year and this will be the
first formal recognition from the CAA confirming Vertical’s
competency as a VTOL design organisation and eventually as a Type
Certificate holder.
Trevor Woods, Vertical’s Director – Regulatory Affairs,
said “I am delighted to join Vertical, the eVTOL manufacturer that,
I believe, has the edge on its competitors. Its considerable
in-house engineering expertise matched with its unrivalled
industrial partnerships from proven tier-one aerospace suppliers
such as Rolls-Royce, Honeywell, GKN and Leonardo lend significant
momentum to its certification efforts. I, myself, am looking
forward to flying in the VX4 at the earliest opportunity."
Paul Harper, Head of Certification at Vertical, said “To
have someone with Trevor’s experience join the team is a boost for
us and our certification efforts. We are pleased with the status of
our certification programme and look forward to reaching a number
of meaningful milestones in our activity over the coming months,
including the launch of our test flight campaign.”
Vertical’s key accountable managers are Eric Samson, Head of
Engineering; Paul Harper, Head of Certification and Paul Cotton,
Head of Independent Systems Monitoring.
About Vertical Aerospace
Vertical Aerospace is pioneering electric aviation. The company
was founded in 2016 by Stephen Fitzpatrick, an established
entrepreneur best known as the founder of the Ovo Group, a leading
energy and technology group and Europe’s largest independent energy
retailer. Over the past five years, Vertical has focused on
building the most experienced and senior team in the eVTOL
industry, who have over 1,700 combined years of engineering
experience, and have certified and supported over 30 different
civil and military aircraft and propulsion systems. Vertical’s
top-tier partner ecosystem is expected to de-risk operational
execution and its pathway to certification allows for a lean cost
structure and enables production at scale. Vertical has a
market-leading pre-order book by value for a total of up to 1,350
aircraft from global customers creating multiple potential near
term and actionable routes to market. These customers are American
Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Avolon, Bristow, Marubeni and Iberojet,
as well as Japan Airlines (JAL), Gol, Gozen Holding and AirAsia,
through Avolon’s VX4 placements. Vertical’s ordinary shares listed
on the NYSE in December 2021 under the ticker “EVTL”. Find out
more: vertical-aerospace.com
About VX4 eVTOL Aircraft
The four passenger, one pilot VX4 is projected to have speeds up
to 200mph, a range over 100 miles, near silent when in flight, zero
operating emissions and low cost per passenger mile. The VX4 is
expected to open up advanced air mobility to a whole new range of
passengers and transform how we travel.
Vertical Media Kit
Available here
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Any express or implied statements contained in this press
release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to
be forward-looking statements, including, without limitation,
statements regarding the certification and the commercialization of
the VX4, the differential strategy compared to its peer group, and
the transition towards a net-zero emissions economy, as well as
statements that include the words “expect,” “intend,” “plan,”
“believe,” “project,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “may,” “should,”
“anticipate,” “will,” “aim,” “potential,” “continue,” “are likely
to” and similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature.
Forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but
involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those projected,
including, without limitation, Vertical’s limited operating history
without manufactured non-prototype aircraft or completed eVTOL
aircraft customer order; Vertical’s history of losses and the
expectation to incur significant expenses and continuing losses for
the foreseeable future; the market for eVTOL aircraft being in a
relatively early stage; the potential inability of Vertical to
produce or launch aircraft in the volumes and on timelines
projected; the potential inability of Vertical to obtain the
necessary certifications on the timelines projected; the potential
that certain of Vertical’s strategic partnerships may not
materialize into long-term partnership arrangements; the impact of
COVID-19 on Vertical’s business; as a foreign private issuer and
intend to follow certain home country corporate governance rules,
Vertical not be subject to U.S. proxy rules and will be subject to
Exchange Act reporting obligations that, to some extent, are more
lenient and less frequent than those of a U.S. domestic public
company; and the other important factors discussed under the
caption “Risk Factors” in Vertical’s prospectus pursuant to Rule
424(b) filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) on December 1, 2021, as such factors may be updated from
time to time in Vertical’s other filings with the SEC. Any
forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak
only as of the date hereof and accordingly undue reliance should
not be placed on such statements. Vertical disclaims any obligation
or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements
contained in this press release, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise, other than to the extent
required by applicable.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220421005182/en/
Vertical Media Samuel Emden
nepeanverticalteam@nepean.co.uk +44 7816 459 904
Vertical Investors Eduardo Royes
investors@vertical-aerospace.com +1 (646) 200-8871
Vertical Aerospace (NYSE:EVTL)
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