Opener BlackFly
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Opener BlackFly is an American electric-powered
VTOL A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can take off and land vertically without relying on a runway. This classification can include a variety of types of aircraft including helicopters as well as thrust-vectoring fixed-win ...
personal air vehicle A personal air vehicle (PAV) is a proposed type of aircraft providing on-demand aviation services. The emergence of this alternative to traditional ground transport methods has been enabled by unmanned aerial vehicle technologies and electric pr ...
designed by
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
engineer Marcus Leng. It was publicly revealed in 2018, after nine years of development. The aircraft is intended to be supplied complete and ready-to-fly and Opener are in the process of starting production at their
Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish language, Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree kno ...
site. The manufacturer claims that the design is the world's first
ultralight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with ailer ...
fixed-wing A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air flying machine, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using wings that generate lift caused by the aircraft's forward airspeed and the shape of the wings. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct ...
, all-electric,
vertical take-off and landing A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can take off and land vertically without relying on a runway. This classification can include a variety of types of aircraft including helicopters as well as thrust-vectoring fixed-win ...
aircraft. Investors in the company include
Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
co-founder
Larry Page Lawrence Edward Page (born March 26, 1973) is an American business magnate, computer scientist and internet entrepreneur. He is best known for co-founding Google with Sergey Brin. Page was the chief executive officer of Google from 1997 unt ...
.


Development

The first proof-of-concept version was flown on 5 October 2011, in
Warkworth, Ontario Warkworth is a community in the municipality of Trent Hills, Northumberland in Central Ontario, Canada. Originally known as Percy Mills (1851 Census), the village of Warkworth was incorporated in 1857, and became part of Trent Hills when the latt ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, by Leng. He flew the next model, named the BlackFly, in August 2014 and then relocated the company to Palo Alto, California in September 2014. In February 2016, the second BlackFly prototype was first flown. By September 2017, the prototype had flown in a series of flights of at least each. The first pre-production aircraft was flown in October 2017. The design is intended for the
FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles Ultralight aircraft in the United States are much smaller and lighter than ultralight aircraft as defined by all other countries. In the United States, ultralights are described as "ultralight vehicles" and not as aircraft. They are not req ...
category in the United States and the Basic Ultralight Aeroplane category in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. The United States version and international versions will have different ranges, speeds and weights to comply with national regulations. In discussing the design in person with Leng at
AirVenture EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (formerly the EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In), or just Oshkosh, is an annual air show and gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at Wittman Regional Airport and adjacent Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsi ...
in July 2018, AVweb reviewer Paul Bertorelli indicated that it is "a terrific idea and I'm betting the concept itself has legs, whether Opener's version fails to gain a market or not", but expressed concern about the lack of pricing and "cost/value relationship" marketing overreach. However he did indicate that "It's early in their game and they have a long developmental road ahead before selling these things." Bertorelli also expressed concern that the company did not allow journalists access to look over the aircraft and would not answer any technical questions. The new CEO of Opener, Ben Diachun stated in January 2020 that the BlackFly was close to being ready for manufacturing and sales. The aircraft was flown with crew in demonstrations at
AirVenture EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (formerly the EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In), or just Oshkosh, is an annual air show and gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at Wittman Regional Airport and adjacent Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsi ...
2021 and was noted as the first aircraft in its category to do so. It was also reported by the company to be in full production in July 2021, although no price had been publicly announced.


Design

The aircraft is made from carbon-fiber reinforced epoxy with all-electric battery-powered propulsion. It has two cantilevered tandem wings, on the front and rear of a short fuselage. The fuselage has a single-seat cockpit under a
bubble canopy A bubble canopy is an aircraft canopy constructed without bracing, for the purpose of providing a wider unobstructed field of view to the pilot, often providing 360° all-round visibility. The designs of bubble canopies can drastically vary; s ...
. The forward wing is low, and the rear wing high, giving the cockpit good forward visibility. Each wing has four
tractor configuration In aviation, the term tractor configuration refers to an aircraft constructed in the standard configuration with its engine mounted with the propeller in front of it so that the aircraft is "pulled" through the air. Oppositely, the pusher c ...
contrarotating propellers powered by
electric motor An electric motor is an Electric machine, electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a Electromagneti ...
s. The tractor configuration prevents the flexible propellers from contacting the airframe. Each wingtip has winglets to improve lateral stability and reduce vortex drag. The aircraft weighs empty and can carry a pilot and baggage totaling . It can accommodate a pilot of up to in height. A
ballistic parachute A ballistic parachute, ballistic reserve parachute, or emergency ballistic reserve parachute, is a parachute ejected from its casing by a small explosion, much like that used in an ejection seat. The advantage of the ballistic parachute over a co ...
is optional. The aircraft is not a
tiltwing A tiltwing aircraft features a wing that is horizontal for conventional forward flight and rotates up for vertical takeoff and landing. It is similar to the tiltrotor design where only the propeller and engine rotate. Tiltwing aircraft are typical ...
or
tiltrotor A tiltrotor is an aircraft which generates lift and propulsion by way of one or more powered rotors (sometimes called ''proprotors'') mounted on rotating shafts or nacelles usually at the ends of a fixed wing. Almost all tiltrotors use a trans ...
design, instead, the entire aircraft changes pitch. When the aircraft is parked, both wings and their motors are canted up at about 45 degrees. To ascend vertically, the aircraft pitches up 45 degrees, so that the propellers pull vertically. The wing-mounted tractor propellers move air over the wings, reducing stall speeds. So, at pitch angles near zero degrees, the aircraft can fly slowly with high angles of attack. For efficient horizontal flight, the aircraft pitches down 45 degrees, canting the wings and propellers to an optimal angle of attack. The forward wing has a slightly lower angle of attack to aid stall recovery. At low speeds the forward wing will stall first, causing the nose to fall, increasing air speed and exiting a stall. The take-off and landing distances are 36 inches. The landing gear consists of a rub-strip on the bottom of an amphibious hull and a small rubber bumper on the rear of the fuselage. The lower edge of the winglets are skids that limit the vehicle's roll when parked. The vehicle is designed to fly from a grass surface, but can also be flown from fresh water, asphalt, snow and ice. Pilot controls are a
joystick A joystick, sometimes called a flight stick, is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. A joystick, also known as the control column, is the principal cont ...
with a thumb control for altitude. Flight controls are triple-redundant
fly-by-wire Fly-by-wire (FBW) is a system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface. The movements of flight controls are converted to electronic signals transmitted by wires, and flight control co ...
controlling the motors and dual
elevon Elevons or tailerons are aircraft control surfaces that combine the functions of the elevator (used for pitch control) and the aileron (used for roll control), hence the name. They are frequently used on tailless aircraft such as flying wings. ...
s on the outer edge of both wings. Differential motor speeds provide control authority in pitch, roll and yaw. Elevons also permit control in an efficient unpowered glide mode. The elevons are in the prop-wash of the outer propellers, enhancing their roll and pitch authority at low speeds. Flight stability is software-controlled, with modes for cruise-control, "return-home," auto-land and geo-fencing. Most flight testing was unmanned, operated by software with a test weight in place of a pilot. Each motor weighs and produces of thrust. There are two batteries per motor, located in the wing, behind each motor. Adjacent batteries can be cross-connected for redundancy. The batteries are software-monitored.


Specifications (BlackFly International)


See also

*
List of electric aircraft This is a list of electric aircraft, whose primary flight power is electrical. ! Type !! Country !! Class !! Power Source !! Role !! Date !! Status ! Notes , - , ΦNIX , , Czech republic , , Propeller , , Battery , , Two-seat airplane , , ...


References


External links

*
AVweb interview at Oshkosh AirVenture 2018
* {{cite web , url= http://evtol.news/2018/09/01/opener-blackfly-debuts-at-oshkosh/ , title= Opener BlackFly Debuts at Oshkosh , author= Kenneth I. Swartz , work= Vertiflite , date= 1 Sep 2018
AVweb interview at Oshkosh AirVenture 2019
Opener aircraft 2010s United States sport aircraft 2010s United States ultralight aircraft Electric aircraft Mid-wing aircraft Canard aircraft Aircraft first flown in 2017 VTOL aircraft