Skyfly unveils eVTOL VR motion flight simulator

Skyfly today announced the unveiling of VRM-2, the UK’s first fully mobile Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) flight simulator combining virtual reality (VR) with motion cueing.

Developed in collaboration with aerospace systems and human factors specialists Myriad, VRM-2 is a highly flexible, transportable simulation platform designed to support aircraft development, customer demonstrations, research, and future pilot training.

A key feature of the simulator is its hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) integration using the Veronte 4x flight control system used on the production version of the Axe VCA. This allows the simulator to run the same fly-by-wire architecture, control laws, and avionics interfaces as the real aircraft. The system is capable of recreating vertical flight in a fully immersive 360-degree virtual cockpit environment, enhanced by realistic motion and vibration cues. For Skyfly, the simulator represents a significant step forward in refining and demonstrating the Axe VCA.

“Access to a mobile simulator capable of accurately and realistically recreating the flight profiles of our aircraft is a major benefit for us. Using our Veronte 4x-based hardware-in-the-loop system, we can train customers in a real-world environment using real aircraft hardware. The pilot and instructor know that the response in the simulator, thanks to our validation against the full-scale hardware, is going to be as close as it reasonably can be to real life. This is a very powerful tool to be able to use.”

– Michael Thompson, CEO, Skyfly

VRM-2 enables seamless integration between physical pilot controls and virtual displays generated directly from original aircraft CAD data, ensuring high fidelity between simulated and real-world cockpit layouts. Motion onset cues are provided by electric actuators, while integrated seat shakers deliver vibration cues, further enhancing realism and pilot immersion.

“Having a mobile flight simulator capable of recreating vertical flight in a fully immersive visual environment combined with realistic motion cues, creates an incredibly realistic environment for research, development and testing. Using the real aircraft’s ‘fly by wire’ system enables seamless integration of physical controls and virtual displays within a 360-degree visual cockpit environment created from the original CAD drawings. Motion onset cues provided by the electric actuators and vibration cues provided by integral seat shakers enhance simulator fidelity.”

– Dr Mike Bromfield, Director, Myriad