Vertical Valo: Aircraft hoping to carry people from Canary Wharf to Heathrow in 12 minutes
Prepare for take-off is a normal phrase to hear when you are in an aircraft before it races down the runway to fly into the sky.
Now, though, a company, Vertical Aerospace, is seeking to upend the traditional aircraft convention as it showcases its aircraft's first vertical take-off and landing at the Farnborough International Airshow.
The Valo is a piloted, four-passenger, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with no operating emissions.
The aircraft has a range of 160km (100 miles) and a cruise speed of 241km/h (150mph) using its eight carbon composite tilt-shift propellers, according to Vertical.
The sleek and futuristic aircraft is aiming to ferry passengers from the heart of London in Canary Wharf to Heathrow in 12 minutes.
"Over the past year, we've transformed the business – from launching Valo and achieving piloted transition, to strengthening our financial position and expanding our industrial ecosystem," Stuart Simpson, Vertical Aerospace's chief executive, said.
"We've proven the technology. Our focus now is executing the road map to certification, industrialisation and commercial service.
"Every milestone we deliver reduces risk, strengthens our competitive position and brings us closer to building one of the world's leading electric aerospace companies."
The demonstration comes after the UK Civil Aviation Authority granted the aircraft a permit to fly, meaning the company was given permission to conduct its first public flight away from its flight test centre at Cotswold Airport.
After getting approval, the company's test pilots have flown into multiple airports, including RAF Brize Norton, RAF Benson, Blackbushe Airport and Farnborough Airport, improving its flight test programme and expanding its experience across several operating environments.
Vertical Aerospace is a global aerospace and technology company pioneering electric aviation, trying to make a safer, cleaner and quieter way to travel.
The organisation is also developing a hybrid-electric variant, with a bigger range and mission flexibility.
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