Honeywell’s compact, high-reliability fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system will be integrated into an electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) flying prototype in 2020 under a strategic partnership with UK startup Vertical Aerospace.
Bristol, England-based Vertical sees the agreement with Honeywell as a key step toward certification of its battery-powered eVTOL air taxi. The company is aiming for certification late in 2022 and entry into service in 2023. The aircraft will be piloted initially.
Vertical filed in 2018 for European certification under a combination of CS-23 rules for aircraft and CS-27 for helicopters. The European Aviation Safety Agency has since released its Special Condition for VTOL aircraft, which requires commercial-aircraft safety levels for urban air mobility (UAM) operations.
Second prototype flying in Wales.
Honeywell FBW will fly in 2020 prototype.
About the size of a hardcover book, Honeywell’s flight-control computer is based on the same design principles as the company’s air transport fly-by-wire systems. The system supports a triplex-redundant system architecture. In addition, each computer uses lockstep processing—two computing channels that constantly cross-check each other. The compact FBW is designed for eVTOL and Part 23/CS-23 aircraft.
unmanned proof-of-concept vehicle
An unmanned proof-of-concept vehicle conducted its first hover flights in June 2018. Credit: Vertical Aerospace~

Vertical says it is the first eVTOL developer to confirm a partnership with Honeywell on FBW. The U.S. avionics manufacturer has also signed memoranda of understanding with Pipistrel and Jaunt Air Mobility. These cover avionics, navigation and other systems as well as FBW. Honeywell has also signed an agreement with Volocopter on navigation and automatic landing systems for its eVTOL.
Founded in 2016, Vertical Aerospace flew its unmanned proof-of-concept (PoC) aircraft in June 2018 at Kemble, England. This vehicle had four ducted fans. A second full-scale prototype of a different design is now undergoing unmanned flight testing at Llanbedr in North Wales, says Michael Darcy, chief commercial officer.
The PoC aircraft was built using off-the-shelf hardware “to learn about system integration and flying,” he says. The second prototype, to be unveiled in September, “is a more complex vehicle.” The next prototype, to fly in 2020, will be different again, with increased redundancy. “We are not sticking with ducted fans,” says Darcy. “They are good for noise, but not forward flight.”
Honeywell’s compact, lightweight flight-control computer features dual-channel “lockstep” processing. Credit: Honeywell

Vertical is backed by founder and investor Stephen Fitzpatrick, founder and chief executive of UK power supplier OVO Energy. In February, Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp. purchased a 20% stake in OVO, the UK’s largest private energy supplier, for £200 million ($250 million). The company plans to seek outside funding and a strategic investor for manufacturing, later in the program.
Fitzpatrick previously owned a Formula One racing team, and Vertical is bringing a mix of motorsport and aerospace thinking to development of its eVTOL, says Michael Cervenka, chief operating officer. Cervenka was previously with Rolls-Royce, where he led eVTOL work including development of the Aston Martin Volante Vision concept vehicle. Darcy was previously with Airbus.
The agreement with Honeywell is initially on flight-control system hardware, but Vertical is looking at the potential for broader cooperation, Cervenka says. Partnering with Honeywell is about differentiating Vertical from other startups in the eVTOL market, he adds.
Vertical’s development approach includes flying a number of small models to rapidly iterate the design and begin developing the flight-control laws. A one-third-scale model of the planned aircraft will be tested in a wind tunnel at Airbus in Filton, near Bristol, later this year.
The startup is looking beyond the aircraft, and in February announced it is collaborating with engineering consultancy Atkins to help develop intercity air taxi services. Atkins, part of the SNC-Lavalin Group, is providing Vertical with safety and certification support, and the companies plan to develop a blueprint for UAM covering infrastructure, passenger experience, operating models and cybersecurity.