{"id":26866,"date":"2023-10-08T16:41:20","date_gmt":"2023-10-08T16:41:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saj.pachecostudios.com?p=26866"},"modified":"2023-10-08T17:02:30","modified_gmt":"2023-10-08T17:02:30","slug":"opener-announces-helix-its-first-scalable-production-aircraft-changes-company-name-to-pivotal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/international-news\/opener-announces-helix-its-first-scalable-production-aircraft-changes-company-name-to-pivotal\/%20","title":{"rendered":"Opener Announces Helix, its First Scalable Production Aircraft; Changes Company Name to Pivotal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Opener has announced Helix, its first scalable production vehicle, and unveils its new identity. Now named <a href=\"https:\/\/pivotal.aero\/\">Pivotal<\/a>, this step represents the company\u2019s trailblazing influence on the industry and its transition to become a product-delivering entity serving the needs of customers in multiple segments.&nbsp; As a pioneer, Pivotal is renowned for the BlackFly, the first eVTOL of its kind to be sold and delivered to customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWith Helix, we become the leading manufacturer of light\neVTOL aircraft. Helix presents the next iteration of 10+ years of innovating,\ntesting, and delivering on the promise to give individuals access to small, yet\nmighty aircraft. Pivotal reflects our mission to transform movement with the\npower of flight,\u201d said Ken Karklin, CEO, Pivotal. \u201cThe new identity shows the\nversatility of our system architecture and encapsulates both the exhilaration\nand utility of flight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Helix-010-edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26868\" width=\"288\" height=\"191\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Helix-010-edit.jpg 592w, https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Helix-010-edit-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 288px) 100vw, 288px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Helix pricing and availability<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The base price for a Helix aircraft is $190,000. Beginning\non January 9, 2024, Pivotal customers will be able to place orders with a\ndeposit of 25% of the purchase price.&nbsp;\nFirst customer shipments commence on June 10, 2024. Based on delivery timing,\ncustomers will select their available training dates. Pricing for options and\naccessories will be rolled out as they become available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the Helix <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Built on Pivotal\u2019s fourth-generation eVTOL platform, the\nHelix is aimed at individuals who want to take to the sky for recreation and\nshort-hop travel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like BlackFly, its pre-production predecessor, the Helix\noffers a distinctive tilt-aircraft architecture, simple user interface, and\nunmatched safety based on fault tolerance and triple modular redundancy. In\naddition, the Helix offers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Power and propulsion improvements delivering a\nmore robust operational flight envelope<\/li><li>Updated digital electronics hardware, enabling\nnew levels of robustness and reliability <\/li><li>A weight and durability optimized aerostructure\nexceeding industry best practice safety factors<\/li><li>A companion smartphone app integrating owner\n&amp; pilot experience while simplifying pre-flight checks, capturing flight\nhistory and managing charging and aircraft service<\/li><li>A redesigned canopy and flight deck featuring\nwith an integrated display and improvements in comfort and safety<\/li><li>Enhanced non-flight-cloud connectivity to\nimprove maintenance, vehicle telematics, charging and owner asset management <\/li><li>A durable livery reducing the effects of\nweather, age and solar loading while extending the life of the structure and\nimproving pilot comfort<\/li><li>Product options including a transport trailer,\nfast charging, aviation or GSM radios, ADS-B, custom liveries, and beacon\nlights<\/li><li>Support for future field-replaceable next generation\nbatteries to extend range and endurance&nbsp; <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Helix-006a-dropshadow-edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26869\" width=\"226\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Helix-006a-dropshadow-edit.jpg 600w, https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Helix-006a-dropshadow-edit-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 226px) 100vw, 226px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Designed to comply with FAA Part 103 (Ultralight) category\nin the US, pilots can fly the Helix in Class G airspace over uncongested areas\nin the daytime and are not required to have a pilot license. Pivotal customers\nmust complete comprehensive initial and recurrent flight training to support\nsafe operations in all situations, from the everyday to the unexpected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPivotal is fulfilling the dream of many people, and I want to participate in defining this space,\u201d commented Clark Thompson, one of Pivotal\u2019s Early Access customers. \u201cI\u2019ve been following the evolution of eVTOL aircraft for quite some time. Pivotal is the only company delivering an intelligent, powerful, and capable recreational product to the market. I\u2019m eager to be a part of the Pivotal pilot community, take my aircraft out, and share my experiences.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Pivotal\u2019s Early Access Program<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pivotal\u2019s Early Access Program (EAP) enables a select group of participants to purchase a BlackFly and provide Pivotal with invaluable feedback on every aspect of their customer experience.\u00c2\u00a0 To learn more about Pivotal\u2019s EAP and register your interest, please visit our website: <a href=\"https:\/\/pivotal.aero\/early-access-program\">https:\/\/pivotal.aero\/early-access-program<\/a>. Limited opportunities are available.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Opener has announced Helix, its first scalable production vehicle, and unveils its new identity. Now named Pivotal, this step represents the company\u2019s trailblazing influence on the industry and its transition to become a product-delivering entity serving the needs of customers in multiple segments.&nbsp; As a pioneer, Pivotal is renowned for the BlackFly, the first eVTOL [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":26867,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[140,114],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-evtol","category-international-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Helix-005-dropshadow-edit.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26866"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26866\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26878,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26866\/revisions\/26878"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}