OSHKOSH, Wis., July 22, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EAA AirVenture -- OPENER, a pioneer of aerial vehicles for general public travel, and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) today announced the donation of a first generation manned BlackFly vehicle to the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh, WI. Designed and built by OPENER, BlackFly is a fixed-wing, all-electric, vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) personal ultralight aircraft. The remarkable BlackFly will be displayed outside the Innovation Showcase at AirVenture July 22 to 28.
Revealing the donation, Rick Larsen, Vice President of Chapters, Communities and Museum at EAA said, “BlackFly is an exciting addition to the Museum’s collection of historic aircraft. The OPENER team tackled complicated problems, innovated modern battery and motor technologies, and showed the world that eVTOL is real. It is an honor to showcase this pioneering electric personal aerial vehicle.”
“We are very honored that the EEA recognized our work and allowed us to showcase our greatest innovation yet at the museum of experimental aircraft,” said Marcus Leng, OPENER founder and CEO. “Now everyone can see Opener's first-generation manned eVTOL aircraft.”
BlackFly can easily takeoff and land on small areas and travel distances up to 35 miles (25 miles restricted in USA), at speeds up to 75 mph (62 mph restricted in USA). These Personal Aerial Vehicles (PAV) are simple to master and require no formal licensing or special skills to operate safely in the USA.
Rick Larsen also commented,“Opener has shown that electric flying vehicles are a viable and efficient mode of aerial transportation.”
A BlackFly in Every Driveway
“BlackFly vehicles are intended for everyone,” added Leng. “We are proud to make history with these single-seat eVTOL aircraft and gratified to donate one of these BlackFly vehicles to EAA on their 50th anniversary of fly-in conventions at Oshkosh.”
Safety is OPENER’s #1 priority, without which no general adoption of this new eVTOL technology is possible.
BlackFly vehicles have cumulatively flown over 23,000 miles during more than 2,300 flights.
Since introducing BlackFly at EAA’s AirVenture 2018, OPENER has:
- Logged another 11,000 miles and 900 flights on pre-production models.
- Upgraded firmware and software.
- Streamlined manufacturing.
OPENER has recently appointed aerospace industry veteran and innovator, Ben Diachun, to the senior leadership team as President. He will be overseeing the production and sale of the first 100 BlackFly eVTOL vehicles.
BlackFly at EAA AirVenture 2019 in the Innovation Showcase
OPENER is presenting the production version of BlackFly from July 22 - July 28, 2019 in the Innovation Showcase, where AirVenture attendees, members, and investors can go to see the latest and greatest groundbreaking technology that aviation has to offer.
About EAA
EAA embodies The Spirit of Aviation through the world’s most engaged community of aviation enthusiasts. EAA’s 220,000 members and 900 local chapters enjoy the fun and camaraderie of sharing their passion for flying, building, and restoring recreational aircraft. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322) or go to www.eaa.org. For continual news updates, connect with www.twitter.com/EAA.
About OPENER
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 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
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0c88c49b-224b-4b2b-beed-a8b79bdc9f24