Eve Air Mobility has announced that its engineering prototype has completed its first partial transition flight, marking an important milestone in the development and testing of the company’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The flight involved activation of the aircraft’s rear pusher propeller, marking the beginning of the transition phase from vertical flight to wing-borne flight. During the test, the aircraft reached a stabilized speed of 27 knots and a maximum ground speed of 30 knots, with the pusher propeller operating at up to 1,200 RPM.
The flight lasted 3 minutes and 9 seconds, covering approximately 0.84 nautical miles and reaching a maximum altitude of 90 feet above ground level.
Johann Bordais, Chief Executive Officer of Eve Air Mobility, said the first partial transition flight represents an important milestone in the company’s development program. He added that successfully activating the pusher propulsion system during flight validates a key aspect of the aircraft design and moves the company closer to its goal of developing safe, efficient and scalable air mobility solutions.
The transition phase is one of the most critical aspects of eVTOL flight, as the aircraft moves from vertical lift to forward flight. The successful completion of the initial partial transition test advances Eve’s efforts to expand the aircraft’s flight envelope and validate system performance.
Marcelo Basile, Head of Engineering at Eve Air Mobility, said the flight successfully demonstrated in-flight pusher activation and validated key performance targets at the beginning of the transition phase. He added that the data collected will support continued flight-envelope expansion as the company progresses toward higher speeds and more complex transition testing.
Eve’s flight-test engineering team is continuing loads and structural analyses to support future expansion of the aircraft’s flight envelope. Following the flight-testing program, the company plans to conduct datalink testing to validate radio-link performance and support operations at speeds of up to 50 knots.
Over the coming weeks, Eve expects to progressively expand the aircraft’s airspeed envelope, including additional flights with pusher activation as part of its broader transition flight-test campaign.
