OPENER has unveiled the BlackFly, an ultralight all-electric fixed-wing vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft.
“BlackFly is a single-seat Personal Aerial Vehicle (PAV) designed and built for a new world of three-dimensional transportation,” company officials said in a prepared release.
“BlackFly is simple to master and requires no formal licensing in the USA or special skills to operate safely,” officials continued.
Though BlackFly has full amphibious capabilities, it is primarily designed to operate from small grassy areas and travel distances of up to 25 miles at a speed of 62 mph (USA restriction), officials add.
“OPENER is re-energizing the art of flight with a safe and affordable flying vehicle that can free its operators from the everyday restrictions of ground transportation,” said Marcus Leng, CEO. “We will offer competitive pricing in an endeavor to democratize three-dimensional personal transportation. Safety has been our primary driving goal in the development of this new technology. OPENER will be introducing this innovation in a controlled and responsible manner. Even though not required by FAA regulations, BlackFly operators will be required to successfully complete the FAA Private Pilot written examination and also complete company-mandated vehicle familiarization and operator training.”
The OPENER team has spent the last nine years in stealth mode, designing, developing, and testing new technologies, which evolved into the zero-emission BlackFly vehicles.
Eight propulsion systems, spread across two wings, provide for multiple-failure security, according to company officials.
“Years of continuous testing, combined with 1,000+ flights and 10,000+ miles flown, form the bedrock of OPENER’s development program,” officials add in the release.
The company’s long-term vision is to integrate the new vehicles into a rural-urban commuting network, officials explained. These networks would be powered by renewable energy sources requiring only a fraction of the transportation energy used currently, they add.
Opener vehicles will be on display at the 2018 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, from July 23 to July 29, 2018. The public is invited to view the vehicles in the Innovation Building, booths IC-12A and 13A, and also experience three-dimensional flight by operating the vehicles in a virtual reality simulation, company officials said.
I would love to see this thing go & be for sale soon. Restrictions in place would be good for the nuts out there. If the price is reasonable,Id buy one. A two seater would be nice too!
I hope to buy one asap
Wow! What a bunch of naysayers! Im 73 and got my pilots certificate when I was 16. Champs, Cessna’s Pipers led to gliders, then hang gliders, paragliders, powered paragliders, powered hanggliders; the last which I still fly…oh, I forgot hot air balloons. i learned that while naysayers took your attitude about new technology years ago they were dead wrong. I bet you have a cell phone. My point is that all the new technologies integrated together make dreams become realities quickly. I can’t wait to get my hands on a Black Fly. I fly for fun and will sell my other aircraft to get one
I feel the same way u do. Other than Oshkosh where can I see one? [email protected]
Correct e mail [email protected]
Just buy a Robinson Cadet.
Sadly Vic, I think your correct…
FAA would never let anybody, with more money than sense, to just hop in one of these and fly without adequate certification.
They do it now. Never heard of a legal ultralight?
There are not many conventional used VTOL’s out there that don’t require nothing short of helicopter pilot certification. Although pricey, a Blackfly like craft, might well allow anyone with maybe more money than they know what to do with, to fly. More scary than cool.
Looking at the website, with only 25mi range on the U.S. model, it’s just an expensive toy.
Also a dangerous one, inasmuch as within an urban environment such as the greater L.A.-Orange County Megalopolis you won’t be traveling in a straight line, but rather directed to follow a circuitous route around any number of obstacles such as finals, closed airspace, etc. In that case, that 25mi range/half-hour endurance is cutting things too close for comfort. The Beach Cities/South Bay might only be 10-15 miles to, say, downtown L.A., but I guarantee you the flight path is much longer.
Also, Opener touts the Blackfly as the perfect vehicle to commute from the country to the city. At only 25mi, the range simply isn’t there. 60 miles would be more like it, a range not available on either the U.S. or European model.
Then consider that the hysterics and NIMBYs will doubtless clutch their chests and roll their eyes about the next door neighbour who takes off and lands in his driveway, whining that it gives them headaches or similar complaints. ( Add to that class-envy driven complaints while you’re at it.) Ditto it landing on, say, a rooftop parking structure. Worst First thinking will doubtless meet municipal cowardice and ignorance plus liability concerns to ban them in certain (or most) urban areas except airports – said airports such as Santa Monica being under attack BTW – thus negating the benefits of being able to fly directly to the office. (The fact that it can be trailered and assembled elsewhere is a tacit admission of that by the manufacturer, that you’ll have to haul it out of town just to use it.)
And then there’s the cost. Nobody seem willing to tell you what it is (or how much is liability).
I like the idea of the Blackfly, I really do. But as things stand now, both the FAA and probable municipal restrictions will work to negate any utility it might have for the daily commuter. Leaving aside its unknown cost, It will only become a success if those various theoretical yet plausible restrictions and obstacles are eliminated.
Just a thought.
VicB3
Part 103 aircraft are already banned from flying over urban areas. They are considered recreational and must be operated away from population. You won’t see anyone commuting to or from the city in one any time soon!
It is just what I need. I have to drive 45 minutes to get to the airport where I can my real airplane that will haul real people 100+nm at real flight speeds (140KTAS or better) at altitude. So, flying direct, puts me there in about 15 minutes flying direct (which I can do in MVFR — and basically fly a contact approach).
But will I have to sell my share in my six place hi-perf complex airplane to afford a 25NM puddle jumper?
Hope you realize that is only the range because it qualifies as an ultralight when and if the government changes the regulation for flying vtols the range will change.. I’m sure 60 miles would be no problem!
At a price like that I can see everyone commuting to work in one of those
From my experiences most people have a hard enough time driving in two dimensions. Adding a third to their limited cognitive abilities will be a recipe for disaster
BINGO!
How much?
You know it will be something insane like a true bargain for only $299,000 for the working man.
$300,000 is not a competitive price even for personal aircraft with twice the speed and 25 times the range. If it costs that much, anyone could do better simply by buying a conventional, used, light aircraft.
The article said about the price of an SUV.