What if there was a way to fulfill your dreams of taking to the skies behind the controls of an aircraft without the certificate? It turns out, through some clever engineering and extensive testing, a handful of companies have made this possible by carefully navigating the rules of the FAA’s Part 103 pertaining to ultralight vehicles.

The Pivotal BlackFly is a unique all-electric aircraft that features eight propellers, two wings, fly-by-wire controls, and is 14 feet long. This craft is able to orient itself to leverage the advantages of both its propellers and its wings, depending on the situation. As a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle, the BlackFly lifts its nose up when leaving the ground, leaning on the propellors for lift. However, once a suitable altitude is reached and the pilot pushes the flight stick forward, this ultralight levels off. As it increases in speed, the small wings then provide most of the lift during flight.

By making the BlackFly come in under the ultralight category’s maximum dry weight, which is 254 pounds, and limiting its maximum speed to below the threshold of just over 63 mph, you can fly the aircraft without obtaining a pilot’s license. Fortunately, to Pivotal’s credit, whether you have experience in the air or not, you must undergo a 10-day training program that includes 40 hours in a realistic simulator and 10 actual flights before you get the keys, so to speak. Pivotal also isn’t just dealing in unavailable prototypes, you can actually buy this eVTOL right now, but it’ll cost you $190,000. So, the entry bar is certainly a bit out of most people’s reach.

Not needing a license to fly ultralights like the BlackFly is also a bit scary

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While no formal FAA certification prerequisites can certainly good news for novices eager to fly, it also poses some frightening possibilities. To get a recreational pilot’s license, for example, there are several steps involved. In terms of cost, you’re looking at around $10,300. You also need to undergo a health physical to get an FAA medical certificate and pass both a written and practical test. Oh, and at minimum, you’ll need at least 30 flight hours under your belt (but it will likely will be closer to 40 hours).

In addition, a core component of training (depending on the certificate) includes learning how to fly in various forms of weather. Tom Peghiny, an aviation enthusiast who helped first develop ultralight aircrafts, spoke with The Middletown Press about operating in windy conditions, stating, “It’s like taking a light sailboat out into heavy seas. So, the fact that you’re not required to have an $8,000 pilot’s license to operate one, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be taught properly how to fly them.”

Accidents have also occurred, like in 2021, when a drunk pilot crashed an ultralight plane into a subdivision front yard. Obviously, impairment was a factor in this particular case, but there are many other examples of crashes, even among experienced ultralight pilots. To be fair, eVTOL crafts are a recent development, different from other ultralight vehicles. However, Greg Kerr, Marketing Director of Pivotal, boasted to the Robb Report regarding BlackFly’s software, “There’s a lot of technology in the back end.” Is an unlicensed pilot prepared to act in a situation where this tech fails?