VTOLS HAVE BEEN turning heads and grabbing headlines for the last few years, but most of these aircraft concepts are just that – concepts.

Many in the aviation industry look dubiously at the claims that electric VTOLs will be out and flying passengers by 2021. Introducing a new type of high-tech aircraft and flying hundreds, if not thousands of passengers a day, will take perhaps more testing and intensive regulatory legwork to realise this future than is feasible. Companies like Uber have developed impressive-looking concept art of taxis soaring across cities and landing on top of lavish ‘vertiports’. These sell a vision of a future effectively, but what about the VTOLs that are out and flying right now?

Start-ups and legacy aviation companies have built prototype aircraft that are out taking test flights all over the world. Some of the aircraft – such as the Workhorse SureFly – can be preordered right now. Here are some of the most promising VTOL aircraft that are out there and flying right now. Now is the time to pay your deposit.