Regulation · United Kingdom
UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
The UK CAA has adopted EASA's Special Condition VTOL as the basis for type certification of piloted VTOL aircraft. A design organisation approval lets an applicant do design work. It is not a type certificate. A permit to fly is not a type certificate either.
CAA publication CAP 3002, first published in July 2024, says the CAA decided to adopt EASA Special Condition VTOL and told industry in June 2022, then published the decision adopting SC-VTOL and its means of compliance on March 14, 2024. The statement says SC-VTOL is the UK technical specification for type certification of VTOL aircraft, and that its scope is limited to VTOL aircraft with a pilot on board. It defines a VTOL aircraft as a heavier-than-air aircraft that can perform vertical procedures with more than two lift/thrust units. It defines a means of compliance as a defined way, but not the only way, to show compliance with a special condition, and a special condition as technical specifications written when existing certification specifications are not adequate.
The CAA's type-certificate page says the CAA issues a type certificate or a restricted type certificate for an aircraft, engine or propeller, and that applicants generally must hold a design organisation approval, or a listed alternative. Holding a design organisation approval is an eligibility step. It is not the type certificate.
Vertical Aerospace said on July 13, 2026 that it had received an expanded permit to fly from the CAA on July 10, 2026, and that it now expects type certification of Valo in 2029. The permit and the 2029 date are not an issued type certificate. Vertical said the 2029 date replaced a 2028 target.
Sources for this note
Where tracked vehicles stand
Rows are limited to vehicles on this site. "In a program" and "target" are not issued certificates.
| Vehicle | Document | Standing | Date | What the source says | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type certificate |
Target, not issued |
On July 13, 2026 Vertical said it now expects type certification of Valo in 2029, after previously targeting 2028. Vertical said the path runs under the UK CAA and EASA. The 2029 date is a target. No type certificate has been issued. |
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Permit to fly (not a type certificate) |
Issued |
Vertical said the UK CAA expanded its permit to fly on July 10, 2026, allowing the first public demonstration flights away from Cotswold Airport. A permit to fly is not a type certificate. |