Eve Air Mobility has completed the first partial transition flight of its engineering prototype at Embraer’s facility in Melbourne, Florida, activating the aircraft’s rear pusher propulsion system in the air for the first time. The test reached a stabilised speed of 27 knots, a maximum ground speed of 30 knots and 90 feet above ground level during a 3 minute 9 second flight, as the programme advanced from vertical lift towards wing-borne flight.
The manoeuvre formed part of the transition phase, a critical stage in eVTOL development that validates the move from rotor-supported lift to forward cruise. During the flight, the pusher ran up to 1,200 rpm while the prototype covered about 0.84 nautical miles. Eve chief executive Johann Bordais described the sortie as an important milestone for the design, while head of engineering Marcelo Basile said it confirmed key performance targets at the start of transition testing.
The result extends envelope expansion and system-performance validation on the company’s four-seat electric aircraft programme. Eve now plans broader testing as it prepares for higher-speed transition flights and continued development of the wing-borne flight regime.