--- title: "Vertical Aerospace flies a second VX4 prototype" url: https://daily.dev/posts/vertical-aerospace-flies-a-second-vx4-prototype-5u34tpnaj source_url: https://thenextweb.com/news/vertical-aerospace-final-vx4-prototype-maiden-flight type: article source: "The Next Web" published: 2026-06-09T11:14:38.563Z updated: 2026-06-09T11:14:55.376Z reading_time: 3 upvotes: 0 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Vertical Aerospace flies a second VX4 prototype **[The Next Web](https://daily.dev/sources/tnw)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Vertical Aerospace has completed the maiden piloted flight of its second full-scale VX4 prototype on 5 June at its UK flight test centre. The new aircraft, cleared by a fresh UK CAA Permit to Fly, roughly doubles the company's flight test capacity alongside its first prototype. This is the final prototype before Vertical's Critical Design Review, the milestone that locks in a certifiable design ahead of pre-production. The aircraft will later be retrofitted for hybrid-electric flight targeting defence and logistics use cases. Vertical holds around 1,500 conditional pre-orders for its four-passenger Valo air taxi from airlines including American Airlines and Japan Airlines, but faces stiff competition from US rivals Joby and Archer, a delayed CAA certification target now set for end of 2026, and an industry backdrop where multiple eVTOL startups have gone insolvent. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [New FAA program will let eVTOL startups test some operations before full certification](https://daily.dev/posts/new-faa-program-will-let-evtol-startups-test-some-operations-before-full-certification-subs6iinv) · TechCrunch · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Electric air taxis are about to take flight in 26 states](https://daily.dev/posts/electric-air-taxis-are-about-to-take-flight-in-26-states-alqrltm9b) · TechCrunch · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Munich startup ERC System unveils Victor, a heavy-lift cargo eVTOL, at ILA Berlin](https://daily.dev/posts/munich-startup-erc-system-unveils-victor-a-heavy-lift-cargo-evtol-at-ila-berlin-kyk0si3q3) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Joby and Air Space Intelligence team up to manage US electric air taxi skies](https://daily.dev/posts/joby-and-air-space-intelligence-team-up-to-manage-us-electric-air-taxi-skies-tpi3yl6py) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Joby flies electric air taxi from JFK to Manhattan in seven minutes as FAA certification nears](https://daily.dev/posts/joby-flies-electric-air-taxi-from-jfk-to-manhattan-in-seven-minutes-as-faa-certification-nears-pnjbw1cq2) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/vertical-aerospace-flies-a-second-vx4-prototype-5u34tpnaj)