AMSL Aero makes history by completing first free flight of VTOL aircraft

Zero-emission aircraft 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 flight is the first by an Australian-designed and built eVTOL which is a new generation of aircraft that take off and land like a helicopter but fly fast and smoothly like a fixed-wing aeroplane. 

“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, chief engineer and Vertiia inventor 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.”

Since the first untethered flight, which took place earlier this month, Vertiia has taken off, flown and landed successfully more than 50 times.

Vertiia is the most complex civil aircraft ever developed in Australia and has been designed to fly up to 1,000km 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 Air Link, AirMed and Chartair brands covering passenger services, aircraft charter, air freight and aeromedical flights across Australia.