Former Volocopter chief test pilot Paul Stone has joined electric vehicle takeoff and landing (eVTOL) rival Vertical Aerospace in a major boost for the future flight developer.
Vertical Aerospace announced the appointment on March 13, 2025, pointing out that the developer is now among the few companies in the world with multiple test pilots to have flown full-scale eVTOLs.
For the last three years Stone, who has over 4,800 flight hours across more than 200 aircraft types, has been a pivotal member of the Volocopter team and has flown both its concept demonstrator and full-scale eVTOL Volocity prototype.
Stone joins Vertical Aerospace after leaving the German eVTOL developer Volocopter in March 2025, according to LinkedIn.
This week Chinese automotive group Zhejiang Wanfeng Auto Wheel purchased Volocopter for €10 million ($10.8 million) after the company entered insolvency proceedings.
“I have been passionate about testing cutting-edge aircraft throughout my career, and Vertical is at the leading edge of electric aviation. With the VX4’s progress and the team’s world-class expertise, I’m excited to be part of the journey to certify and commercialise the VX4,” said Paul Stone, Vertical Test Pilot.
Strong has over 28 years of experience in experimental, development, certification, and production test flying, which includes over 15 years of test experience on all marks of Harrier.
He was also part of pioneering research on Short/Vertical Take-Off and Landing (SVTOL/VTOL) digital flight control systems, contributing to the Vectored-thrust Aircraft Advanced Control (VAAC) Harrier and the Boeing X-32 Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) concept demonstrator.
“Paul joining Vertical underscores the incredible progress we’re making with our piloted flight test programme and sector leading aircraft. A test team with two eVTOL experienced pilots puts us in an elite group worldwide. I look forward to seeing Paul take to the skies in our full-scale prototype as we progress our piloted test programme, which sets our progress apart in the sector,” said Stuart Simpson, CEO at Vertical Aerospace.
Vertical recently completed piloted thrustborne testing for its VX4 prototype and continues to work with the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to expand its flight envelope ahead of wingborne flight.
