Hundreds of Thousands Witness BlackFly Soar at EAA AirVenture 2021
Palo Alto, August 3, 2021 -- Opener, a pioneer of electric aerial vehicles for consumer travel, today announced the historic completion of four human-operated flights of BlackFly, the world's first eVTOL fixed-wing aircraft. Two BlackFly production vehicles soared into the sky in front of hundreds of thousands of attendees at the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture 2021 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
BlackFly eVTOL aircraft were flown by Opener team members, Eleanor Li, Plant Manager, and Marcus Leng, Founder and CEO, on July 27th, 2021, and Kristina Menton, Director of Operations, on July 31st, 2021. The operators showcased BlackFly's powerful capabilities of vertical takeoff and landing, cruise flight, hover, rotating, sideways and forward flight, and return-to-home.
“This was a momentous day for aerial vehicles and the future of transportation,” said Marcus Leng, Founder and CEO of Opener. “With over 35,500 miles flown and vehicles in production, we have demonstrated that BlackFly is a first in this space.”
No pilot's license is required to operate BlackFly ultralight vehicles.
About Opener Aero
On October 5, 2011, history quietly was made near the small town of Warkworth, Ontario, Canada. That day saw the first manned flight of a fixed-wing all-electric VTOL aircraft. This event prompted the formation of a stealth company with the sole purpose of pursuing the development of this new unique technology. In September of 2014, the Company reorganized as OPENER Aero and relocated the majority of its operations to Silicon Valley in California to pursue an unencumbered and accelerated development timeline.
Find videos and more information at https://opener.aero.
Media Contact:
Heidi Groshelle
Groshelle Communications
press@opener.aero