Opener Blackfly at EAA AirVenture 2021

It has been several years since a new personal air transport called Blackfly by Opener was revealed. The good news is, it is still alive. Yay. The California-based aerospace outfit has recently carried out a human flight demonstration at the EAA AirVenture 2021 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

And the most exciting news? It apparently will go on sale later this year, costing about the price of an SUV. Though it is not clear what kind of SUV because, as we all know, the SUV price range varies, a lot.

If it is the price of a luxury SUV, then it would be out of reach for most. Well, at least, there is no need to go through an expensive pilot license course since the Blackfly is classified as a recreational sport vehicle.

Opener Blackfly at EAA AirVenture 2021
Credit: YouTube (Adam Cotton).

It will operate under Part 103 of the U.S. federal air regulations which limits it to a weight of 254 lbs and it cannot be flown at night or near populated areas.

The Opener Blackfly will be offered with an optional BRS parachute that can be deployed at an altitude of under 100 feet above the ground.

Flying is not driving. You’d be navigating a 3D space which means getting disorientated is possible. Thankfully, Blackfly has a return-to-home button that will bring the pilot back to the home base at a touch of a button.

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When Blackfly was first revealed, it was marketed as a flying car. However, it is now evident that it is not. For starters, it won’t be able to travel on regular roads as Klein Vision can.

Hell, it does not even have landing gears to begin with. But the fact that it is a super futuristic look and it is an eVTOL that can elegantly switch from vertical flight to airplane-like forward flight makes it a drool-worthy big boy toy.

In case anyone’s wondering, the Blackfly has, at this point, made over 4,300 flights covering over 35,000 miles.

Images: YouTube (Adam Cotton/Experimental Aircraft Channel).

via Robb Report.