PHOTO: SKYFLY – The Axe prototype flew from Turweston to Bicester and back

Skyfly Technologies recently announced the successful completion of the first airfield-to-airfield flight of a fully electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft in Europe. Pilot for the landmark flight was Skyfly’s Chief Technical Officer and test pilot, Dr Bill Brooks, who flew the Axe prototype from Turweston Aerodrome in Northamptonshire to Oxfordshire’s Bicester Airfield and then back to Turweston.

This momentous out-and-return flight signals the end of the conventional phase of the Axe flight test programme, which has concentrated on substantiating the aircraft’s airframe and control systems in wing-borne flight. “The aircraft performed very well,” said Bill Brooks after the flight, adding “it has a gentle feel in turbulence, giving the impression of more span because of the motor masses at the tips. The comfort, outstanding view and lack of noise make for enjoyable flying. The outbound leg of ten nautical miles took twelve minutes” he continued, “cruising at the lowest cruise power setting of around 57kw. The maximum speed was 71kt, the return trip took eight minutes. Upon returning to Turweston, we climbed to 3,500ft to get some high altitude photography around the broken clouds, and to drain the batteries down to a safe transport state of charge for the upcoming trip to America.”

The Axe features eight electric motors – two on each wingtip enclosed in a single nacelle – which are powered by high-capacity lithium batteries housed within the fuselage. These batteries are swappable and removable for convenient charging.

After successfully concluding hover tests in 2024, the British-based company received UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) clearance to proceed with airborne transitions between vertical and wing-borne flight. With that regulatory milestone passed, the programme will now move to testing the full transition phase. The company is concurrently building its next Axe prototype, which will conform to the final production design.  Skyfly says it already has orders for forty aircraft, and hopes to begin the first customer deliveries at the end of the second quarter of 2026.

The Axe is built to certified aircraft standards but is offered under the UK’s Permit to Fly category, and the US FAA’s ‘Experimental’ category.