The eVTOL Industry Has a Test Engineering Gap
eVTOL companies hire fast on aerodynamics, structures, and software.
Test engineering, V&V, and compliance documentation? Those get figured out later.
Later is the problem.
By the time the test program needs to start, there's no test plan structure, no traceability framework, no documentation standards. The team that designed the aircraft has to build test infrastructure from scratch — while the certification clock is running.
Traditional Part 25 programs have decades of institutional knowledge. Templates exist. V&V processes are established. Roles are defined.
Most eVTOL startups don't have that foundation. And the certification path is still evolving — means of compliance are being negotiated in real time. That makes structured test planning even more critical, not less.
The companies that get this right build test and V&V capability early — before they need it. The ones that don't spend their certification phase catching up on documentation instead of executing tests.
Where the Gap Shows Up
The gap isn't in engineering talent. eVTOL companies have strong technical teams. The gap is in process maturity for test and certification activities.
Test documentation. Test plans, test cards, test reports — these need a consistent structure across the program. Without templates or standards, every engineer writes them differently. When the DER or authority reviews the package, inconsistency creates questions and delays.
Requirements traceability. Knowing what you need to test is only useful if you can trace each test back to a requirement and forward to a result. Many startups track requirements in spreadsheets that aren't connected to their test program. By certification, the traceability gap becomes a compliance finding.
V&V planning. Verification and validation at the test program level — not just system-level V&V — requires defining how each requirement will be verified, by what method, and with what evidence. This planning should start during design, not after the first flight.
Why It Happens
It's not negligence. It's priorities. When you're trying to fly for the first time, test documentation feels like overhead. And when the certification path isn't fully defined, it's hard to build a documentation structure for a process that's still being negotiated.
But the cost of deferral is real. Programs that start building test infrastructure at the point of need spend more time and money than programs that invest early. The documentation debt compounds the same way technical debt does.
If your team is building test capability for an eVTOL program, visit solriseengineering.com.
Get the Test & Validation Essentials Bundle → https://solriseengineering.gumroad.com/l/tier1-testvalidationessential