A company that started in Ontario became the first to conduct crewed flights of an eVTOL aircraft this week. Opener Inc. flew its Black Fly aircraft numerous times at EAA AirVenture showing its unique all-terrain design. “After tens of thousands of miles tested, we are thrilled to have showcased BlackFly and its potential,” said Marcus Leng, founder and CEO of Opener. “This is an exciting time to be at the forefront of personal aerial technology, and we are honored to hold a place in history for the first public demonstration of a human-operated eVTOL fixed-wing aircraft.”
The aircraft has fixed wings with electric motors and changes direction and speed through attitude control. The aircraft has no landing gear. Instead, it has a sturdy hull that allows it to land on virtually any surface, including water. Leng started the company in Warkworth, Ontario in 2011 and has since moved it to California’s Silicon Valley “to pursue an unencumbered and accelerated development timeline.”
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the wings rotate.