• 02 May 2021 11:58 PM
• 1

MightyFly Reveals MF-100

MightyFly, based in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, announced on April 20 that it is developing an autonomous air cargo eVTOL, and had closed a $5.1M seed funding round. To date, the company has hover-tested its MF-100 hybrid-electric eVTOL aircraft with a cargo capacity of 100 lb (45 kg), which the company predicts will reach a cruise speed of 150 mph (240 km/h) and range of 600 miles (965 km). The MF-100 has received an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate and test flights are being performed in California. MightyFly is also planning a larger aircraft with a 500-lb (225-kg) payload. The company aims to achieve FAA Part 135 Air Carrier and Operator Certification, and airworthiness certifications in other markets, like Australia and Asia, providing logistics or cargo directly to the point of need, such as businesses in remote areas. Previously, MightyFly had flown a small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) using the same flight controller; this demonstrator was flown under the 55-lb (25-kg) limit imposed by the FAA Part 107 regulations for small UAS.

MightyFly was founded by CEO Manal Habib and CTO Scott Parker. The two met while working at rail-launched UAS delivery company Zipline (Habib led flight controls and Parker was a senior mechanical engineer), but they realized a need for a larger autonomous aircraft with a greater cargo capacity. Habib, a private pilot and aerospace engineering graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stanford University, is the first female CEO of an eVTOL company that has raised funds of this level to date. The seedling funds will support the company’s plans to scale its workforce and the production of its eVTOL aircraft.