Eve activates eVTOL pusher propeller in flight for first time
Eve Air Mobility has activated its eVTOL pusher propeller in flight for the first time. The test marks the engineering prototype’s first partial transition flight and advances development of the company’s electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.
The flight initiated the shift from vertical lift toward wing-borne forward flight. The aircraft reached a stabilized speed of 27 knots, a maximum ground speed of 30 knots and a maximum height of 90 feet above ground level. It flew for 3 minutes and 9 seconds and covered about 0.84 nautical miles.
The rear pusher propeller was activated up to 1,200 RPM during the test. Eve said the result validated a key part of the aircraft’s design at the start of the transition phase. That phase is among the most critical elements of eVTOL flight because the aircraft must move from lift generated by vertical propulsion to lift supported by its wing while maintaining control and stability.
Eve’s flight-test engineering team is continuing loads and structural analysis as it prepares to expand the aircraft’s flight envelope. After the current flight-test program, the company plans datalink testing to validate radio-link performance and support operations at speeds of up to 50 knots. Additional flights with pusher activation are expected over the coming weeks as part of the broader transition test campaign.
The milestone gives Eve new performance data for higher-speed and more complex transition testing. It also moves the aircraft closer to proving the transition behavior needed for safe, efficient and scalable electric air mobility operations.