We are delighted to invite you to the 2026 Handley Page Lecture being hosted at Cranfield University alongside the Royal Aeronautical Society.
The 2026 lecture Vertical Aerospace: British Innovation and EVTOL will be delivered by Mr Simon Davies, Chief Test Pilot, Vertical Aerospace.
Lecture synopsis
Electric vertical flight is no longer a distant ambition. A new generation of full-scale electric aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing is being designed, built and flown. These aircraft bring together advances in batteries, electric propulsion, lightweight structures and highly integrated flight-control systems.
Britain has a long tradition of challenging established ideas about how aircraft should be designed and operated. Drawing on Vertical Aerospace’s experience of developing and flying electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, Simon Davies will explore how British innovation is contributing to the emergence of this new class of aircraft—and how its enabling technologies have progressed from concept to reality.
The lecture will examine what electric propulsion makes possible, how it changes the architecture and behaviour of an aircraft, and why the close integration of propulsion, aerodynamics and flight controls lies at the heart of eVTOL development.
It will also consider the distinctive challenges of flight testing an aircraft required to hover, transition and fly efficiently on the wing. How can the envelope of such a novel configuration be expanded safely? How do simulation, ground testing and incremental flight testing combine to build confidence in the aircraft? And what must still be demonstrated before eVTOL can become a practical part of the aviation system?
This is the story of an emerging class of aircraft whose enabling technologies are no longer waiting in the future. They are here, they are flying—and they represent an exciting new chapter in Britain’s long history of aviation innovation.
Programme & speakers
Event Schedule:
18:00 Arrival, networking and coffee
18:30 Lecture: Vertical Aerospace: British Innovation and EVTOL
Mr Simon Davies, Chief Test Pilot, Vertical Aerospace
Simon studied Physics and Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Cambridge before joining the UK Royal Air Force, where he served for 16 years as a fast-jet pilot and instructor. He trained as a test pilot on exchange with the US Navy at Patuxent Naval Air Station, Maryland, and was the UK lead test pilot for Tormado for 4 years.
After leaving the military in 2014 Simon has worked as a civil test pilot, mainly for smaller companies and startups in the UK including Hybrid Air Vehicles (a UK airship manufacturer) and 2Excel Aviation. Simon flew the Cranfield University Saab 340 flying classroom from 2020 to 2023 as part of the National Flying Laboratory team.
Simon joined Vertical Aerospace in 2020 and has been the chief test pilot since 2024, completing over 16 flights in the VX4 prototype aircraft including the first full transition flight, from hover to cruise and back, in April 2026.
Simon has over 3,500 hours in more than 85 types of aeroplanes, helicopters, gliders and airships, holds both aeroplane and helicopter licenses, and is a current aerobatic flying instructor. He lives in Bedfordshire with his wife and 3 daughters, and enjoys astronomy, photography and vintage aircraft display flying at the Shuttleworth Collection.
Location & travel details
Vincent Building Auditorium, Cranfield Campus
Who should attend
All Cranfield alumni and students are welcome to attend.
Cost & concessions
Free to attend.