The last time we heard from the UK's AltoVolo, it only had renders of its grand vision for a sportscar equivalent of an eVTOL to show off. That was exactly a year ago – and it's now got a working prototype taking to the skies.
The London-based firm has built and flown a 1:4 scale prototype of its Sigma aircraft, which keen observers will note looks drastically different from the previous concept we saw in 2025.
It's sticking with the previous targeted range of 500 miles (804 km) and top speed of 220 mph (354 km/h). That's faster than the five-seater Joby Aviation flew between JFK Airport and New York City's heliport network (200 mph or 322 km/h) as part of an air taxi demo last week. If it can hit these figures, the Sigma will be among the fastest eVTOLs you'll be able to board in the next couple of years.
You can see the scaled-down Sigma prototype in the air in the short video clip above. AltoVolo claims it's successfully completed the preliminary design review as well as testing of this early version, ahead of full type certification.
Look closely, and you'll notice the design has evolved to a two-seater configuration, down from three. The company says this allows it to be flown by anyone with a Sport Pilot certificate and only 25 hours of training, during the day and with fair weather conditions. This expands the potential use cases for this vehicle – and I imagine it increases room for your luggage.
The other big difference from the previous renders is you've got open rotors for takeoff and cruising, instead of closed electric ducted fans. AltoVolo says it found this switch allowed for double the hover time, quicker propeller loading, and weight savings – and it's developed its own fixed pitch propeller that's better suited to this vehicle than alternatives available off the shelf.
The next step is to produce the full-scale Sigma demonstrator, which will really test the design and engineering that's going into this vehicle. AltoVolo hasn't revealed a time frame for this, but we've seen it take some other companies a year tor more to get to that stage.
It'll then have to ace transition flight tests, pass aviation certification requirements, and get its manufacturing pipeline in order before it can begin rolling this out to high-flying customers who want the quickest short ride in the sky.
Source: AltoVolo
