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Pivotal Blackfly Electric Aircraft Lifts And Hovers
The Blackfly ultralight eVTOL looks like pure fun.
The BlackFly was designed for the FAA’s Part 103 Ultralight category, which requires no formal flight training, but stipulates a maximum dry weight of 254 lbs. (the BlackFly’s ballistic parachute and flotation bring total weight to 348 lbs.), and pilots can’t exceed 220 lbs. Ultralights are restricted to a top speed of 55 knots (63.3 mph), and flying over populated areas is strictly forbidden.(Via RobbReport.)
I was strongly reminded of a daring idea from almost one hundred years ago. In his 1929 story Around the World in 24 Hours, R.H. Romans wrote about an amazing electric plane that could not only fly as a traditional plane, but could hover in place:
(Around the World in 24 Hours)
The weight of the car is regulated by the same method. The small spheres under the car produce a high pressure area while others above produce a low. When the proper electrical current passes through the spheres, the upward pressure against the car is exactly balanced by the force of gravity acting on the car, which becomes apparently weightless. But the wind would blow the weightless car away if other precautions were not taken. The rudder now acts as a weather vane and the nose of the ship is pointed windward. The ship is pointed toward the wind with a velocity exactly equal to that of the wind itself. I still have one hand on the control knob and as the velocity of the wind is seldom constant, I find it necessary to increase or decrease the power."That explains how it was so easy for me to remain motionless in midair or to perch on a flagpole in imitation of a giant bird, even in the windy city of Chicago."
(Read more about the Atmospheric Pressure Control Plane)
Thanks to @SFFaudio for the tip on this story.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 3/29/2025)
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