13/07/2018

Flying car available next year

BlackFly is the product of a Silicon Valley via Canada company called Opener. Designer and CEO Marcus Leng said 'Opener is re-energizing the art of flight with a safe and affordable flying vehicle that can free its operators from the everyday restrictions of ground transportation.'

The flying 'car' has no wheels so is actually a flying 'vehicle' and looks more like a UFO than other VTOLs. BlackFly leaves the ground through a rocking motion and then uses eight small rotors spaced across two parallel wings to fly.

Opener says BlackFly has 'triple-modular redundant flight systems, control surfaces, and sensors' in a single passenger, joystick-operated system. The vehicle has flown over ten thousand miles of test flights and requires no formal licensing in the US to fly, although Opener will stipulate that users take the FAA Private Pilot written examination and complete its own operator training.

The company claims BlackFly will be energy efficient, relatively quiet and is even amphibious, which apparently means it can take-off and land on fresh water. However, the vehicle is subject to some strict limitations with a range of 25 miles and speed limit of 62mph. Flying requires good weather with dry conditions, temperatures above freezing and minimal winds for take-off and landing. Its classification as an ultralight vehicle also means it can't fly at night or over urban areas in the U.S.

Leng told CBS News 'We will offer competitive pricing in an endeavour to democratize three-dimensional personal transportation.'