Tested in Byron”: Personal Flying Electric Vehicle Announced, Goes on Sale in 2024

Supervisor Diane Burgis announced via her newsletter that a Personal Flying Electric Vehicle test at the Byron Airport will go on sale next year.

George Jetson would feel right at home if he visited Byron Airport.

That’s because in recent years, companies like Pivotal have been testing their innovative personal flying electric vehicle prototypes at Byron. Last week, Pivotal unveiled the Helix, a new eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle in development since 2011. The Helix will be priced at $190,000 when it goes on sale in 2024.

Testing innovative technologies at Byron was our goal when I worked with the Contra Costa County Airports Division to partner with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies to make our Contra Costa County airports official unmanned aerial system test sites. Byron Airport and Buchanan Field are in perfect locations to test drones because of the open testing areas and their proximity to the various aviation companies headquartered in the Bay Area (Pivotal is based in Palo Alto). Learn more about our Bay Area Test Site, a.k.a. “Drone Town USA” on the Contra Costa County Airports website or by watching the video below.

Having groundbreaking testing facilities in Contra Costa County is just the first step. In the medium and long term, we’re working to have the vehicles of the future developed and even manufactured locally. In the meantime, I’m proud to have products tested in District III ready for sale to aviators everywhere.

Editors Note:

Light eVTOL Aircraft

• Opener is a pioneer in light eVTOL aircraft. Over the past decade, the company has been perfecting BlackFly, its first vehicle, based on its tilt-aircraft architecture.
• BlackFly is designed to comply with FAA Part 103 (Ultralight) category, which supports consumer recreation and short-hop travel, and is flyable in Class G airspace over uncongested areas. No pilot certificate is required to fly BlackFly.
• Building on the success of BlackFly and leveraging the tilt-aircraft architecture, additional light eVTOL systems are in development for public service, military, in both uncrewed and optionally-crewed applications.
• More info click here