British electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer Vertical Aerospace has selected CAE, the provider of civil aviation training solutions, as partner for the launch of its eVTOL aircraft VX4.
Under the terms of the partnership, which was announced on July 19, 2022, CAE has committed to design and develop an exclusive pilot training program as well as provide the high-fidelity, next-generation flight simulation training device for pilots of the VX4 all-electric aircraft
“The innovative pilot training program will leverage advanced technologies including Mixed Reality and Artificial Intelligence to enhance the learning experience and will help shift the training paradigm toward cost-effectiveness and scalability while ensuring safety as paramount for Vertical and its operators,” according to the Vertical Aerospace statement.
Vertical Aerospace said it expects the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) sector to lead to “unprecedented demand” for the trained flight crew to perform inner-city and regional electric flights in the future. The eVTOL aircraft manufacturer believes that the recently announced partnership will help it to strengthen the commercial ecosystem of electric flight globally.
Vertical has already moved forward with the certification process of its VX4 piloted zero-emissions all-electric eVTOL air vehicle.
The manufacturer has agreed with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the UK (CAA) to concurrently validate the certification of the aircraft. With an aim to start commercial air taxi services with VX4 in 2025, Vertical is focused on the launch of the aircraft test flight program in the ongoing summer season of 2022.