Electric aircraft startup AMSL Aero lands its first flight trials

Sydney startup AMSL Aero, which has designed and built a long-range electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, has taken the next steps in its plan to take to the skies in 2027 after trialing more than 50 remote control flights in NSW over the past fortnight.

The test flight was performed on battery power by remote control in the Central West region of NSW in early November. The aircraft, Vertiia, can take off and land like a helicopter, but fly like a fixed-wing aeroplane, with a range of up to 1,000km, fuelled by emissions-free hydrogen, at a cruising speed of 300km/h, carrying up to four passengers and a pilot.

AMSL Aero will begin hydrogen-fuelled flight testing of Vertiia in 2025, amid hopes for regulatory approvals for commercial flights in 2027.

Cofounder and chief engineer Andrew Moore said the startup has receive received deposits for 26 Vertiia aircraft orders from civil customers including 20 from Aviation Logistics, which operates the Air Link, AirMed and Chartair.

“Watching Vertiia take to the sky in free flight was a breathtaking experience for our incredible team of engineers and me,” he said.

“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.”

the AMSL Aero Vertiia on its first independent test flight in regional NSW.

AMSL Aero is based at Sydney’s Bankstown Airport and has banked more than $50 million from investors and government, including a $23 million Series B in 2022 led by the St Baker Energy Innovation Fund and supported by IP Group Australia, TelstraSuper and Hostplus.

The federal government via the Australian Renewable Energy Agency awarded AMSL $5.43 million in funding late last year, providing 50% of the $10.86 million in development costs for the Vertiia. The government previously backed AMSL in 2020 with a $3 million Cooperative Research Centres Projects grant.

The startup was founded in 2017, with plants to launch the Vertiia as an air ambulance in 2023 before Moore ditched plans for a battery-powered aircraft in favour of a hydrogen fuel cell.

Vertiia is an eight electric motor tilting wing aircraft that can operate from a helipad or similarly-sized landing site. The initial civil aircraft will be certified for piloted flight, with autonomy systems installed for future remote piloted applications.

The air ambulance version will seat a pilot, a paramedic and/or doctor and patient, or it can be configured to carry passengers (1 pilot + 4pax) or up to 500kg in freight.

Moore said the aircraft’s operating costs in the longer term will be comparable with short-range domestic airliners.