2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Hanneke Weitering

<p>News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.</p>


Thirteen customers are flying the single-seat aircraft in the U.S.

Pivotal Completes Blackfly Personal eVTOL Deliveries

<p>Shortly after Pivotal officially <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2024-01-17/pivotal-launches-sales-helix-personal-evtol-aircraft-private-flyers">launched sales</a> of its single-seat personal aerial vehicle—a recreational eVTOL aircraft that requires no license to fly—the company’s&nbsp;“tilt-aircraft” architecture has garnered some attention from the U.S. Air Force.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Pivotal (formerly known as Opener Aero) announced on February 21 that it had delivered the first four of eight Blackfly aircraft—the pre-production version of its flagship <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-10-10/opener-rebrands-pivotal-unveils-helix-personal-evtol-aircraft">Helix</a> vehicle—to Modern Technology Solutions (MTSI), an engineering firm contracted by the U.S. Air Force’s Afwerx innovation unit to assess the tilt-aircraft’s performance for potential defense applications.&nbsp;</p>
<p>As a partner in the Afwerx Agility Prime program, Pivotal is providing pilot training and support services to MTSI and the USAF throughout the eight-month flight testing campaign, which will take place at New Braunfels National Airport in Texas as well as the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence (NAAMCE) at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport in Ohio. In addition to leasing eight aircraft to MTSI, Pivotal is also leasing two of its flight simulators to support training at those locations. Those two simulators were delivered along with the first batch of Blackflys, according to Pivotal.&nbsp;</p>
<p>“Over the next eight months, we will fly eight BlackFly eVTOL aircraft in different environments to test their mission effectiveness and suitability in military uses,” said Vance Drenkhahn, executive v-p of MTSI’s defense services division. “Pivotal's amazing light eVTOL platform offers an opportunity to support Afwerx and solve real-world challenges.”</p>
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<p>Small, light eVTOL aircraft such as the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-07-28/openers-blackfly-makes-rare-appearance-during-oshkosh-show">Blackfly</a> “have potential for several missions including special operations, surveillance, and disaster and emergency response with local command and control at a much lower price point than traditional helicopters,” said Agility Prime program lead John Tekell. The Agility Prime program has worked with various other eVTOL developers in recent years, including air taxi manufacturers such as Archer and Joby as well as other personal aerial vehicles such as <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-07-16/jetpack-starts-taking-preorders-speeder-vtol-vehicle">JetPack Aviation's Speeder</a>.&nbsp;</p>
<p>“Afwerx's and MTSI's decision to partner with Pivotal is a strong endorsement of our platform's maturity and a milestone on our journey to mission relevance,” said Pivotal CEO Ken Karklin. "With over 12 years at the forefront of light eVTOL aircraft development, it is an honor to join forces with Afwerx and MTSI to demonstrate the utility and versatility of Pivotal's patented eVTOL architecture."</p>
<p>Recreational pilots (licensed or not) can order the Pivotal Helix aircraft online at a starting price of $190,000. Because the aircraft complies with the FAA’s Part 103 rules for ultralight aircraft, operators do not need a pilot’s license to legally fly it, but Pivotal is still requiring customers to complete a training course before they can receive their deliveries. Pivotal said it aims to begin shipping the Helix to customers on June 10. Meanwhile, about a dozen customers participating in the company’s early access program have already begun receiving deliveries of the pre-production Blackfly aircraft.</p>
<p>The Helix's design features&nbsp;eight fixed rotors built into two cantilevered tandem wings. With a fully battery-electric powertrain, it can fly at a&nbsp;cruise speed of 55 knots to a range of about 20 miles (32 kilometers) with 20 percent battery reserves left, and it can fully recharge in 75 minutes with a Level 2 EV charger.</p>


Science & Technology Editor

U.S. Air Force Evaluating Pivotal’s Blackfly Ultralight eVTOL Aircraft

<p>Pivotal, the ultralight eVTOL developer formerly known as <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-10-11/opener-rebrands-pivotal-unveils-helix-personal-evtol-aircraft">Opener</a>, has officially begun selling its flagship Helix aircraft, a single-seat, all-electric vehicle that requires no pilot’s license to operate. Recreational flyers in the U.S. can now purchase the Helix online at a starting price of $190,000, and Pivotal plans to begin shipments on June 10.&nbsp;</p>
<p>“The market is ready for the wonder of aerial recreation and short-hop eVTOL travel,” said Pivotal CEO Ken Karklin. “We are ready to provide the beauty and freedom of personal flight to a whole lot of people with a passion for flying and an interest in creating a new generation of aviators and aviation.”</p>
<p>The Helix is the production version of Pivotal Blackfly personal eVTOL aircraft, which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-07-28/openers-blackfly-makes-rare-appearance-during-oshkosh-show">debuted</a> with a public flight demonstration at the 2021 EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. For the past few years, Pivotal has been flying the Blackfly at airshows and other events around the U.S., including the 2023 Airtaxi World Congress in San Francisco.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Although the California-based company never launched orders for the Blackfly, it is in the process of delivering about a dozen units to customers who participated in its early access program (EAP). Those customers were specially selected to provide feedback that would contribute to the design of the Helix.</p>
<p>“We are still deeply engaged with the early access customers,” a company&nbsp;spokesperson told <strong>AIN</strong>. “Their insights are invaluable to our go-to-market strategy.”&nbsp;Several EAP participants have already received their Blackfly deliveries, and the remaining orders will be fulfilled after those customers complete Pivotal's flight training program, the spokesperson said.</p>
<h3 class="subheading"><strong>No Pilot's License Needed,&nbsp;But Training Is Mandatory</strong></h3>
<p>Because the Helix is built to comply with the FAA’s Part 103 rules for ultralight aircraft, operators do not need a pilot’s license to legally fly it. However, Pivotal is still requiring customers to attend an FAA-approved ground school and complete a training course at the company’s Palo Alto headquarters.</p>
<p>“It's imperative that they [the users] understand what all of the requirements are to fly in the National Airspace, especially under visual flight rules,” Greg Lary, Pivotal’s head of sales and customer experience, told <strong>AIN</strong> at the Airtaxi World Congress. For example, Part 103 aircraft are only allowed to fly during the daytime over non-congested areas far away from airports.&nbsp;</p>
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            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/futureflight/import/Helix%20Canopy%20Open.jpg" width="2200" height="1080" alt="The Pivotal Helix personal eVTOL aircraft is pictured with its canopy open." title="The Pivotal Helix personal eVTOL aircraft features a hinging canopy designed to give operators a wide field of view. (Photo: Pivotal)">

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            <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">The Pivotal Helix personal eVTOL aircraft features a hinging canopy designed to give operators a wide field of view. (Photo: Pivotal)</div>
      
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<figcaption>The Pivotal Helix personal eVTOL aircraft features a hinging canopy designed to give operators a wide field of view. (Photo: Pivotal)</figcaption>
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<p>The Helix features a unique tilt-aircraft architecture with eight fixed rotors built into two cantilevered tandem wings, which are mounted on the front and rear of a small carbon-fiber fuselage. The fly-by-wire flight controls are powered by left- and right-handed joysticks, with one primary joystick and the second serving as a redundant backup option.&nbsp;</p>
<p>There’s not much room for luggage or personal items inside the vehicle, but it should be able to comfortably accommodate pilots as tall as 6 feet, 5 inches (196 centimeters), according to Pivotal. The aircraft’s empty weight is 348 pounds (158 kilograms), and the maximum weight for occupants is 220 pounds (100 kilograms).&nbsp;The battery-electric vehicle has a cruise speed of 55 knots and a range of about 20 miles (32 kilometers) with 20 percent battery reserves, and it can fully recharge in 75 minutes with a Level 2 EV charger.</p>
<p>Pivotal says it is manufacturing the Helix at its Palo Alto facilities, but the company is not disclosing production rates at this time. The spokesperson told&nbsp;<strong>AIN</strong>&nbsp;that Pivotal has closed multiple deals since launching online orders last week, but it isn't disclosing sales numbers.&nbsp;</p>
<h3 class="subheading">Helix Options and Pricing</h3>
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            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/futureflight/import/Helix%20Custom%20Exterior%20WWII.jpg" width="2200" height="1080" alt="A side view of a Pivotal Helix eVTOL aircraft with custom livery" title="Pivotal is offering the Helix in three configurations with customizable exteriors. (Photo: Pivotal)">

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            <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Pivotal is offering the Helix in three configurations with customizable exteriors. (Photo: Pivotal)</div>
      
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<figcaption>Pivotal is offering the Helix in three configurations with customizable exteriors. (Photo: Pivotal)</figcaption>
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<p>Pivotal is offering the Helix in three configurations, and the pricier versions come with more features and customization options. For the base price of $190,000, customers will receive a Helix with a white exterior finish, digital flight panel, canopy, high-definition landing camera, charger, and vehicle cart. At $240,000, the next package comes with all the same features, but it has a higher-quality 4K landing assist camera with recording and sharing features, as well as an ADS-B air traffic system, a second charger, a trailer, and an enhanced warranty.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The most expensive package at $260,000 comes with a premium flight deck and a fully customizable exterior, plus beacon lighting, an emergency location transmitter, and a total of three chargers. This package also covers the cost of flight training for a friend or family member. For all three packages, the cost of mandatory flight training for the primary user is already included.&nbsp;</p>


Pivotal Launches Sales of Helix Personal eVTOL Aircraft to Private Flyers

<p>Opener Aero, the company behind the BlackFly personal eVTOL aircraft, is rebranding and introducing its first production aircraft. Now operating under the name Pivotal, the California-based company is getting ready to begin accepting orders for its first scalable production vehicle, called Helix, in early 2024.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Just like the <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-01-30/opener-aims-begin-taking-orders-blackfly-personal-evtol-year">BlackFly</a>, the Helix is a single-seat, fly-by-wire eVTOL aircraft designed for recreational use and short-hop travel. The design features two 14-foot cantilevered tandem wings mounted on the front and rear of a small fuselage, with four electric propellers mounted onto each wing. With this so-called “tilt-aircraft” architecture, the entire aircraft tilts to transition between hover and cruise.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The next-generation Helix vehicle looks a lot like the BlackFly but comes with several upgraded features, including a newly optimized aerostructure with a redesigned canopy and flight deck. Pivotal says it has updated some of the electronics and improved the power and propulsion elements to deliver “a more robust operational flight envelope.” The company is also introducing a mobile app that it says will simplify pre-flight checks, record flight data, and manage charging and maintenance.&nbsp;</p>
<p>“Helix presents the next iteration of 10+ years of innovating, testing, and delivering on the promise to give individuals access to small, yet mighty aircraft,” said Pivotal CEO Ken Karklin. “The new identity shows the versatility of our system architecture and encapsulates both the exhilaration and utility of flight.”</p>
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            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/futureflight/import/pivotal_blackfly_october2023_airtaxi_world_congress.jpg" width="2200" height="1081" alt="Pivotal's BlackFly eVTOL aircraft is pictured on the tarmac at Marina Municipal Airport" title="Pivotal's BlackFly eVTOL aircraft is pictured at Marina Municipal Airport in California on Oct. 2, 2023, during a live flight demonstration for the Airtaxi World Congress. (Photo: Hanneke Weitering/AIN)">

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            <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Pivotal's BlackFly eVTOL aircraft is pictured at Marina Municipal Airport in California on Oct. 2, 2023, during a live flight demonstration for the Airtaxi World Congress. (Photo: Hanneke Weitering/AIN)</div>
      
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<figcaption>Pivotal's BlackFly eVTOL aircraft is pictured at Marina Municipal Airport in California on October 2, during a live flight demonstration for the Airtaxi World Congress. (Photo: Hanneke Weitering/AIN)</figcaption>
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<p>The company did not publish any updated specifications for the Helix, but it has previously stated that the pre-production BlackFly model would have a range of around 20 miles (32 kilometers) on a single charge, a top speed of 62 mph (100 kph), and a payload capacity of 230 pounds (104 kilograms). Safety features include redundant flight controls, a ballistic parachute, and floats that allow the vehicle to land on water in case of an in-flight emergency.&nbsp;</p>
<p>A Pivotal spokesperson told&nbsp;<strong>AIN</strong>&nbsp;that the company has already designed and built its first&nbsp;Helix prototype, and the final version will go into production in early 2024.</p>
<p>Pivotal says it will officially begin taking orders for the Helix on January 9, and it will begin shipping the aircraft to customers on June 10. The vehicle will have a base price of $190,000, and a 25 percent down payment is required to reserve a delivery slot. Pivotal has not yet revealed what additional options or accessories will be available for the Helix.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Because Pivotal’s vehicles are designed to comply with the FAA’s Part 103 rules for ultralight aircraft, operators are not required to have a pilot’s license. However, Pivotal is still requiring all of its customers to attend an FAA-approved ground school and complete a training course at the company’s Palo Alto facilities.&nbsp;</p>
<h3 class="subheading"><strong>First BlackFly Deliveries Underway</strong></h3>
<p>Although Pivotal is not taking any orders for the BlackFly, the company has begun delivering a limited number of the pre-production aircraft to customers participating in an early access program. Through that program, Pivotal intends to deliver 12 BlackFly vehicles to 12 customers who were specially selected to provide feedback on the user experience.&nbsp;</p>
<p>“We're looking for certain pioneering spirits and also a broad cross-section of humanity—pilots, non-pilots, male, female people of different cultures and unique skill sets that bring some added value,” Greg Lary, Pivotal’s head of sales and customer experience, told <strong>AIN</strong>.</p>
<p>Pivotal has so far selected six of the 12 participants for the early access program, and it is in the process of making deliveries and training owners on how to operate it. A company spokesperson told <strong>AIN</strong>&nbsp;that Pivotal has already begun generating some revenue via the early access program.</p>
<p>The first BlackFly delivery went to Tim Lum, who brought it to the Pacific Airshow in Huntington Beach, California for a public flight demonstration last week. According to Lary, this made Lum the first owner of a recreational eVTOL to fly at an airshow.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The BlackFly made its public <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-07-28/openers-blackfly-makes-rare-appearance-during-oshkosh-show">debut in July 2021</a> at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and it returned to the airshow for more flight demonstrations in 2022. Last week Pivotal conducted a flight demonstration with the BlackFly in Marina, California, for attendees at the annual Airtaxi World Congress.</p>
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Opener Rebrands as Pivotal, Unveils 'Helix' Personal eVTOL Aircraft

<p>Opener, the U.S.&nbsp;start-up behind the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/blackfly">BlackFly</a> personal eVTOL aircraft, says it is on track to begin collecting orders from customers this year—but the company isn’t making any promises or setting a firm date just yet.&nbsp;</p>
<p>“We're feeling good about 2023,” Opener CEO Ken Karklin said last week during the Vertical Flight Society’s eVTOL Symposium in Mesa, Arizona. “But&nbsp;as anyone who is in charge of a large complex engineering program knows, you're always just one test report away from a three- or six-month slip. And if it involves certain hardware, it could be longer than that, but most of the risk has been burned down.”</p>
<p>Founded as SkyKar in 2008, <a href="https://opener.aero/">Opener</a> claims to have developed the world’s first fully electric, fixed-wing eVTOL aircraft for personal transportation. In October 2011, Canadian engineer and company founder Marcus Leng conducted the first crewed test flight of a fixed-wing eVTOL aircraft, a proof-of-concept vehicle that paved the way for the construction of the initial BlackFly prototype. Leng flew that prototype for the first time in 2014, after which he relocated the company from Canada to Palo Alto, California.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Opener unveiled a preproduction version of the BlackFly in 2018, and since then the company has shown off the aircraft at airshows around the U.S., conducting several public flight demonstrations. Most recently, the BlackFly did four crewed flight demonstrations at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in July 2022.&nbsp;</p>
<p>After the aircraft's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-07-28/openers-blackfly-makes-rare-appearance-during-oshkosh-show">public debut at the AirVenture show</a> in 2021, Opener said it was <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-08-05/opener-close-accepting-orders-its-blackfly-personal-evtol-aircraft">close to accepting the first orders</a> from customers, but the company has yet to start taking any. For now, it is focused on wrapping up the final stages of validation testing, and it has not yet decided exactly when it will begin collecting orders, although it aims to do so sometime in 2023.</p>
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<p>Initially being offered under the FAA’s Part 103 rules for ultralight aircraft, the single-seat, fly-by-wire BlackFly will not require FAA type certification, and operators do not need a pilot’s license to fly it in the U.S. However, to operate the aircraft in Canada, an ultralight pilot license will be required. Per FAA regulations, the aircraft can be flown only during the daytime in visual flight rule (VFR) conditions, and it may not fly over congested areas or in controlled airspace.&nbsp;</p>
<p>With an empty weight of 348&nbsp;pounds (158&nbsp;kilograms), the BlackFly’s maximum payload is about 230 pounds (104&nbsp;kilograms), and the occupant must be under 78 inches (198 centimeters) tall to fit inside under the bubble canopy. The aircraft features two 13.6-foot cantilevered tandem wings mounted on the front and rear of its small fuselage, and each wing has four propellers with electric motors.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Although Opener has previously said the BlackFly will have a range of 30 miles (48 kilometers)&nbsp;on a single charge, Karklin said it will likely have a shorter range of about 20 miles (32 kilometers). However, “this is with a lot of very, very generous safety factors being applied to battery reserves,” Karklin said. He explained that the batteries powering the BlackFly use technology that’s five or six years old and that the aircraft’s range could increase as newer batteries with higher energy densities become commercially available.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Flying at a top speed of 55 knots, the BlackFly will be able to operate for about 20 minutes on a single charge, and it will take 20 to 30 minutes to fully recharge it using a 240-volt quick charger. With a standard 120-volt home charger, it would take significantly longer.&nbsp;</p>
<p>So far Opener has conducted more than 5,000 flight tests covering more than 36,000 miles with the BlackFly. For the remaining flight tests, there are “still some corner cases to be explored in terms of dynamic amphibious operation,” Karklin said. “It is not a seaplane [and it] is not a water toy, but we want it to be robust in the water.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>“We're also continuing to work on higher altitudes and hot temperatures,” Karklin added. “We've got some hours in flight to accumulate down there. So if there are&nbsp;some UFO sightings&nbsp;somewhere outside of Mexico City in a few months, you'll know why.</p>


Opener Aims To Begin Taking Orders for the BlackFly Personal eVTOL This Year

<p>Highly-secretive eVTOL aircraft developer Opener gave a rare public glimpse of its&nbsp;BlackFly single-seat vehicle when it&nbsp;briefly climbed into the air before thousands of onlookers at this week's EAA AirVenture&nbsp;show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The July 27 flight was billed as the first manned flight of the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/blackfly">BlackFly</a> in a public venue and it was one of two eVTOL aircraft to make manned public debut flights during the event, with the other being Volocopter's VoloCity model.</p>
<p>The first manned flight of the&nbsp;initial eVTOL design took place a decade ago in 2011 at Warkworth in Canada. In 2014, the company moved to Palo Alto, California, and was reorganized as Opener. Development continued, eventually resulting in the production version of the BlackFly, which was launched in 2018.&nbsp;More than 4,300 flights have been conducted so far, with testing being conducted almost entirely in stealth mode.</p>
<p>Dubbed a "personal aerial vehicle,”&nbsp;Opener says the BlackFly will require no FAA certification nor a pilot’s license, as it falls under FAA Part 103 regulations for ultralight aircraft. It is designed to operate from land or water, carrying a single pilot who can control the aircraft via fly-by-wire flight controls operated by a joystick.</p>
<p>With an empty weight of 343 pounds, the maximum payload is 200 pounds, and the cockpit can fit a six-foot, six-inch person. The airframe is made of epoxy-impregnated carbon-fiber and is fitted with eight electric motors, powered by batteries installed in the wings. Maximum cruise speed is 62 mph, climb rate 500 feet per minute, and range 25 miles with 8 kWh batteries. A ballistic parachute is mounted forward of the cockpit canopy in case of an emergency such as a total power failure.</p>
<p>Opener hasn’t revealed the price for the BlackFly, but a spokeswoman told <strong>FutureFlight&nbsp;</strong>that it should be in the range of a sport-utility vehicle. Initial pricing will be higher, for a “signature series” with all the options, until Opener can manufacture in higher volume and bring costs down, she added. However, Opener isn’t taking orders yet.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the company says it has built 30 full-size aircraft and 250 sets of wings in preparation for volume production. It is now developing a pilot training program.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Rival personal aerial vehicle developer Aska is also at the Oshkosh show this week, signing up prospective early buyers for its four-seat model. The company showed sub-scale prototypes of the design.</p>


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