Silicon Valley start-up Opener is building a single-passenger aerial craft called BlackFly that does not require a pilot’s license to operate. Essentially, the small tech company is taking on the development of flying cars.
Google co-founder Larry Page is throwing his backing behind the team and their revolutionary technology. The aircraft-vehicle could eventually cost the same as a standard SUV. While the price may be similar, this form of personal transportation functions less like a typical automobile that is capable of flight than a drone or helicopter. Rather than driving down roads, BlackFly would vertically take off, travel through the air, then come back to the ground vertically.
Across major companies, there has been an increasing investment into flying cars. Uber, Airbus, Joby, Boeing, and KittyHawk have all been working on flying car models in recent months. Page has also given millions to KittyHawk to back their start-up project. Innovations in standard automobiles, such as sense-and-avoid technology and advances in battery density and propulsion systems, have made the possibility of flying into a reality.
According to Alan Eustace, Opener’s technical advisor and a formal Google exec, the company’s aim is to make these vehicles affordable for the average American family. Eustace also sees a potential benefit in cutting commute times into quarters by allowing drivers to fly over rush hour traffic. And considering the 6 million car accidents that occur in the U.S. each year, could this aerial form of transportation offer a safer alternative to the busy roads below?
Regulations regarding how fast the BlackFly could travel will vary between countries. Currently, it can travel for 40 miles at 72 miles per hour in Canada and for 25 miles at 62 miles per hour in the United States. As a comparison for speed capabilities, the road-bound 2016 Hyundai Genesis Coupe has a top speed of 151 miles per hour.
BlackFly crafts are currently classified as ultra-light aircraft in the United States, so operators would not need a license to fly them. The rules in place would restrict them to flying only in rural areas over uncongested terrain. The first of these vehicles will start selling next year.
In order for crafts like the BlackFly to be used in areas with higher populations, regulations and infrastructure at both the federal and local levels will need to adapt to the new form of transportation. According to experts and analysts, that adjustment won’t take place for at least another five years.
BlackFly aircraft will not be overly large, but they will be able to accommodate a person who stands as tall as six feet and six inches and weighs up to 250 pounds. So far in the testing phase of the BlackFly, which has mostly taken place in Canada, seven people have flown the vehicles. These first drivers ranged in age from 25 to 75 and were a mix of pilots and nonpilots.
