Pivotal BlackFly electric VTOL ultralight

NoHeat

NoHeat

Final Approach
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This looks like fun. Pivotal BlackFly. It's a recreational electric plane, doesn't need a runway. The reporter flew after a few hours of training in the simulator, without any previous aviation experience.

www.cnet.com

I Learned to Fly an Electric Aircraft in 3 Days. It Blew My Mind

In less than a week aviation startup Pivotal trained me to fly one of its electric flying vehicles.
www.cnet.com www.cnet.com
 
I would love to own one and fly to my hangar, so I dont have to drive.
 
Though the company hopes to court people like me, with no flying experience, it says even seasoned pilots show "unbelievable enthusiasm" after flying a BlackFly.
Click to expand...
"Do not mistake "enthusiasm" for pulling out the checkbook. I'm already enthusiastic about flying one, but I'm not buying one.

... An ultralight aircraft has only one seat, is only used for recreational purposes, and may or may not be powered. A powered ultralight aircraft must weigh less than 254 pounds under Federal Aviation Administration guidelines. They don't require any certification to operate, though they can't be flown over populated areas...
Click to expand...

So, unless you live in an unpopulated area, you're not flying it home.
How does the FAA define a populated area. Yellow area around cities and towns on a chart?
See page 35, https://aeronav.faa.gov/user_guide/cug-complete_20240905.pdf
Do you think vehicles like these (and others we've seen) will cause the FAA to rethink their definition of "ultralight?"

Given the massive cost, I guess I don't understand the market for many of these new tiny, electric, aviation toys. I suppose a farmer could use one to inspect the fields and critters. Inspect irrigation lines, but you can do that with a drone much cheaper.
 
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