eVTOL Skyfly Axe Gets FAA Experimental Nod in U.S.
Skyfly Technologies, a UK-based innovator in electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, has made a significant step toward entering the U.S. hybrid-powered aircraft market with the FAA’s approval of its Axe Vertically Capable Aircraft (VCA) for experimental flight testing.
Announced in October 2025, the FAA Experimental certificate opens the doors for winter flight evaluations and customer demonstrations in America, the world’s largest market for personal and sport aviation.
Hybrid Power= 3X Range
The Axe—a sleek, two-seat eVTOL—boasts a fully electric range of 100 miles, with a hybrid option stretching this to 300 miles, an appealing capability for pilots seeking sustainable and practical personal air mobility. The aircraft features eight brushless motors for redundancy, a “glide capability” allowing safer emergency descents, and the sophisticated Veronte 4x flight control system, promising advanced safety and handling for new and experienced pilots alike.
CEO Michael Thompson expressed enthusiasm for the milestone, saying that winter flight tests in the U.S. would prepare the company to introduce the Axe to sport pilot communities as the MOSAIC rules expand the Light Sport Aircraft category. These new rules, finalized by the FAA in July, take effect in October 2025 and make it possible for eVTOLs and VCAs like the Axe to be flown by sport pilots, dramatically expanding accessibility and potentially reshaping the U.S. kitbuilt and experimental market.
Kit Rumors
While rumors circulate that Skyfly Technologies may be planning a kit-built version of the Axe VCA, Kitplanes put the question to Michael Thompson, and we are awaiting his reply.
The Skyfly VCA Flight Test Program
Skyfly’s U.S. strategy includes a program of verification flights through winter 2025–2026, followed by full customer demonstration rides in early 2026. The company anticipates a surge of interest from American pilots eager to experience VCA technology firsthand, with particular attention paid to the Axe’s user-friendly design, redundant systems, and operational versatility.
The FAA’s Experimental certificate comes at a pivotal time–representing a shift for homebuilders and technology adopters in the U.S. With MOSAIC inviting new designs and propulsion technologies into Light Sport and Experimental categories, manufacturers like Skyfly and their builder communities are poised to accelerate innovation, improve safety, and reduce barriers to sustainable flight.
For pilots seeking to leverage new technologies and builders eager to lead the transition to modern, eco-conscious personal aviation, the Axe project will be watched closely. Skyfly’s forward-looking approach and the FAA’s openness point to growing momentum for electric aircraft and broader adoption in the homebuilt and kit-built arena.
Interestingly they have forgone a system that pivots the motor/prop units at each corner. I can imagine this saves a lot of mass and engineering/testing, at the expense of some complexity in the flight controls.
For vertical flight they use a nose-up attitude that puts the motor axis vertical. They’ve done VTOL flight and conventional wing borne flight but I’m not sure if they’ve demonstrated in flight transition between the two.
A Experimental kit would be great.!
Where are you going to be based? What type engine ?
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