Pivotal announces scalable production eVTOL vehicle Helix

Opener (Palo Alto, Calif., U.S.), the company behind the BlackFly light electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, is presenting Helix, its first scalable production vehicle constructed of carbon fiber, and has unveiled a new corporate identity. Under the new name Pivotal, the company is gearing up to begin accepting new orders in early 2024.

According to Ken Karklin, CEO of Pivotal, “Helix presents the next iteration of 10-plus years of innovating, testing and delivering on the promise to give individuals access to small, yet mighty aircraft. Pivotal reflects our mission to transform movement with the power of flight. The new identity shows the versatility of our system architecture and encapsulates both the exhilaration and utility of flight.”

Helix is built on the company’s fourth-generation BlackFly eVTOL platform. Like its pre-production predecessor, Helix offers a distinctive tilt-aircraft architecture, simple user interface, and safety based on fault tolerance and triple modular redundancy. In addition, the aircraft offers power and propulsion improvements for a robust operational flight envelope; updated digital electronics hardware; a weight- and durability-optimized aerostructure; and a companion smartphone app integrating owner and pilot experience while simplifying pre-flight checks, capturing flight history, and managing charging and aircraft service. Other features target improvements in comfort, safety and connectivity.

According to Future Flight, Pivotal has previously stated that the pre-production BlackFly model would “have a range of around 20 miles on a single charge, a top speed of 62 miles per hour  and a payload capacity of 230 pounds.”

Moreover, Helix is designed to comply with FAA Part 103 (Ultralight) category in the U.S., meaning that a pilot’s license is not required to fly the aircraft.