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Palo Alto eVTOL developer Opener rebrands as Pivotal Aero, will begin taking deposits

Pivotal Demo
Airtaxi World Congress & Urban eVTOL at Marina Municipal Airport in Marina, California, on Oct. 5, 2023.
Stan Olszewski
By Andrew Mendez - Reporter
October 06, 2023, 03:23pm PDT Updated 10/06/2023 3:41 pm

One of the first Silicon Valley startups to fly a single-person, electric aircraft is renaming itself as it plans to take sales orders.

The electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer that had been called Opener Inc., announced both pieces of news Thursday.

"With Helix, we become the leading manufacturer of light eVTOL aircraft," said Ken Karklin, the company's CEO, said in a news release. "Helix presents the next iteration of 10+ years of innovating, testing, and delivering on the promise to give individuals access to small, yet mighty aircraft."

The Palo Alto company, which has also changed its name to Pivotal Aero LLC., made the announcement Thursday and plans to take orders for its single-person aircraft, dubbed Helix, come January.

See the eVOTLs fly

According to company’s CEO Ken Karklin, the rebranding of the company represents the changing landscape of the eVTOL sector and better represents its mission to "transform movement with the power of flight."

Those who are interested in purchasing a Helix, which will cost $190,000, can place a 25% deposit, or $47,500, to secure one when sales begin in January. Shipments of Helix will begin June 10, 2024, according to the company.

The eVTOL, according to the company, complies with the FAA Part 103 (Ultralight) category. That means that the aircraft weights less than 254 pounds, does not go faster than 55 knots (63.29 mph), and is limited to a single occupant.

According to the company, because the aircraft was designed to comply with that FAA category, someone can fly the aircraft without a pilot license during the day, in certain airspaces. However, once a purchase is made, the consumer will be required to take Pivotal’s flight trainings to "support safe operations in all situations."

Though the company’s Helix announcement has turned some heads, it was already doing so before it rebranded.

Pivotal delivered BlackFly, a pre-production eVTOL, to its first customer in July.

The delivery was part of an early access program, which enabled the first dozen BlackFly customers to fly and share feedback with the company as it gears up for scaled production. It’s unclear what the company's production plans are.

"Pivotal is fulfilling the dream of many people, and I want to participate in defining this space," Clark Thompson, one of Pivotal’s early access customers, said in the news release.

Pivitol flew BlackFly on Thursday at the Airtaxi World Congress conference, where it was one of three companies demonstrating its eVTOLs at Marina Municipal Airport.

With a crowd of founders, investors and officials in the advanced air mobility sector, BlackFly flew for close to 10 minutes as people were out of their seats trying to get a better look.

"Today we are here to celebrate the future of electric flight," said Greg Lary, head of sales and consumer experience at Pivotal, at the flight demonstration. "Electric flight is a lot more than transporting people. Ultimately, it's about removing friction and creating greater efficacy in aerial transportation which does not exist today."

To date the company has raised $1.15 million in funding and was acquired for an undisclosed amount by Google co-founder and former CEO Larry Page in 2014, according to PitchBook Data.

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