• 11 Nov 2024 07:07 AM
• 0

Pivotal Completes Blackfly Shipments to Customers

Pivotal reported on Oct. 1 that it had shipped 13 single-seat Blackfly eVTOLs to defense and "Early Access" customers for the preproduction version of its Helix aircraft. In addition, 30 people have been trained to fly the Backfly aircraft, AIN reported from a talk by Pivotal CEO Ken Karklin at the UP. Summit in Bentonville, Arkansas. These customers, Karklin said, are flying the personal eVTOL in California, Delaware, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oregon, Texas and Washington. In July, the US Air Force’s AFWERX unit disclosed that Pivotal — through its contract with Modern Technology Solutions, Inc. (or MTSI) — had been making test flights (pictured) at Springfield-Beckley Airport in Ohio under the Agility Prime program “to accelerate innovative and emerging technologies that can be transitioned to the warfighter.”

The preproduction Blackfly has made more than 1,000 piloted flights, and thousands of uncrewed flights. The company is now finalizing its Helix production aircraft.