Pivotal Delivers First Four BlackFly Personal Aircraft for Air Force Evaluation

The light eVTOL manufacturer is working with AFWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force, to assess the aircraft for a range of use cases.

Jack Daleo

Friday, February 23, 2024 at 04:44 PM ET

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

Helix, the successor to Pivotal’s BlackFly, features a unique tilt-aircraft design. [Courtesy: Pivotal]

Key Takeaways:

Pivotal, a manufacturer of recreational eVTOL aircraft, has partnered with the U.S. Air Force's AFWERX program to evaluate its BlackFly eVTOLs for potential military missions.
The Air Force will assess Pivotal's unique "tilt-eVTOL" architecture, which tilts the entire airframe, and the aircraft's rapid deployability for various use cases like special operations and disaster response.
Pivotal's flagship civilian model, Helix, is now available for purchase at $190,000 and qualifies as a Part 103 ultralight, meaning it does not require FAA pilot certification for recreational flight.
Customers receive training from Pivotal to fly the Helix, which comes with operational restrictions for safety due to its low barrier to entry.

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Pivotal, the manufacturer of a single-seat electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft designed primarily for recreational use, has attracted the attention of the U.S. military.

The company this week said it was selected by Modern Technology Solutions Inc. (MTSI) and AFWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force, to participate in Agility Prime, a division of AFWERX dedicated to vertical lift technologies.