Proof
Flown, not rendered.
Nearly a decade designing, building and flying our own aircraft in Prague. Every claim below stands on a flight that happened.
The record
In the air and on the shop floor.
Each one taught the next. All of it is now in TD 2.0.
The airframes
Every scale tested.
Nothing was tried at full scale that a smaller aircraft could prove first.
01 · 2018
Two-meter model
Proved the basic flight characteristics of the concept, and fast.
02 · 2018
Five-meter concept
Flew as an airplane, then in hover: Zuri's first registered aircraft.
03 · since 2019
The subscale fleet
A rolling series of transition aircraft; new configurations fly here first.
Flying now
04 · 2020 · 2023
TD 1.0, full scale
Full-scale hover in 2021; the altitude and endurance record flight in 2023.
05 · now
TD 2.0, full scale
The full-scale hybrid demonstrator, in systems integration and ground test.
In ground test nowStages of flight
Liftoff to landing, flown.
The full envelope is proven at subscale, across multiple aircraft. At full scale, TD 1.0 proved liftoff, hover, and landing; transition and cruise are exactly what TD 2.0 is built to fly.
Solid: flown. Dashed: the TD 2.0 flight-test campaign.
The stack
Built in-house, then integrated.
Four systems, each proved on its own bench in Prague, then run together on the ground before anything flies.
Hybrid powertrain
The generator engine, built and tested on the bench.
Batteries & power electronics
Component and bench testing since 2019; under flight loads in TD 2.0 ground test.
Flight controls
In-house hardware and flight software, validated across the whole fleet.
Tiltrotor units
The tilting propulsion units, developed and rig-tested in-house.
The Iron Bird
Where the systems stop being separate: run together on the ground, so integration problems surface here and not in the air.
In test nowThe risks
What is proven, what is in test.
| Technology risk | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Full-scale vertical flight | Proven, in flight | TD 1.0 hovering since 09/2021; the altitude and endurance record in 09/2023 |
| Tiltrotor transition | Proven, in flight at subscale | Tested on multiple subscale models; full scale is TD 2.0's job |
| Flight-control hardware and software | Proven, in flight | Every aircraft in the fleet, across nearly a decade |
| Hybrid powertrain | Proven, on the ground | Engine built and bench-tested |
| Tiltrotor mechanism | Proven, on the ground | The tilting propulsion units developed and rig-tested in-house |
| Aerodynamics | Proven, on the ground | Wind-tunnel validated at the Czech Aerospace Research Centre (VZLÚ) |
| Battery & power electronics | In test | Bench-tested since 2019; under flight loads in TD 2.0 ground test |
| Cargo interface | In definition | A standardized payload interface; requirements being fixed with end users |
What remains is integration and flight test, not invention.
Test campaigns
Completed, current, next.
Completed
Subscale transition flight test · full-scale hover and endurance, TD 1.0, 2021 to 2023 · hybrid powertrain ground runs · tiltrotor rig tests · wind tunnel at VZLÚ
Current
TD 2.0, one campaign from the ground into the air: systems integration and ground test now, then hover, transition, and cruise · the subscale fleet testing flight controllers and configurations, continuously
Next
The uncrewed cargo aircraft: configuration ground qualification, an out-and-back resupply demonstration, and the work toward Specific-category approval. The powertrain and tiltrotor units proving out now carry straight into it.
The efficiency
More flown, far less spent.
€7.6M
Raised since 2018, including the first €1.1M of the Series A: it bought the whole flown fleet, a full-scale hover campaign, wind-tunnel validation, and TD 2.0 in ground test
€300M+
Spent by comparable Western programs to reach similar results, with only billion-euro programs approaching passenger type certification
More progress per euro, on a sovereign European cost base; and the approvals ahead cost a small fraction of a type certificate, not billions.
Sector figures representative of publicly reported raises by comparable Western VTOL programs.
The Series A round →Frequently asked questions
About what has flown.
How many aircraft has Zuri flown?
More than fifteen across nearly a decade, with hundreds of test flights flown: small models, the five-meter proof of concept, a rolling series of subscale transition aircraft including V1NG, and TD 1.0, the 11-meter full-scale demonstrator. TD 2.0, the next full-scale demonstrator, is in systems integration and ground test.
When did Zuri first fly a full-scale aircraft?
On 15 September 2021, when the 11-meter demonstrator TD 1.0 completed its first hover. The same aircraft, upgraded, flew its highest and longest flight in September 2023.
Has Zuri flown the transition to cruise?
Yes, at subscale: all flight modes, including transition and cruise, have been tested on multiple subscale models, as noted publicly with the December 2024 investment round. At full scale, TD 1.0 proved hover; flying the full envelope at full scale is the purpose of the TD 2.0 flight-test campaign.
What has Zuri not yet flown?
Transition and cruise at full scale. Both are proven at subscale across multiple aircraft, and TD 1.0 proved hover, transition being the step between them that only a full-scale airframe can close. That is the whole purpose of the TD 2.0 flight-test campaign. The cargo interface is also still in definition, and it is the one entry on the risk matrix above at that grade.
When does the cargo aircraft reach the market?
Market entry is planned for 2027 to 2029 under EASA's Specific category (SORA, SAIL III): first the flight-test campaign, then cargo-configuration qualification, then first deliveries.
Where does Zuri develop and test?
In the Czech Republic: design, build, and integration at the Prague facility, flight testing at Czech airfields under the national aviation authority, and wind-tunnel work at the Czech Aerospace Research Centre (VZLÚ).
Can I see the aircraft in person?
Yes. Zuri shows hardware at AERO Friedrichshafen and hosts visits to the Prague facility; write to us through the contact page and we will arrange it.
Seeing is believing.
Follow the flight-test campaign as it happens, or see the aircraft yourself at the Prague facility.