Flying car now on sale for $190,000

A future with flying cars no longer lives only in concept videos. He now lives in Palo Alto, and if you have about $200,000 plus patience, you can reserve one today. The company behind that future vehicle is Pivotal, a California company that has quietly spent more than a decade turning a radical idea into a real airplane. His latest creation, called Helix, is now open for reservations and delivery could take less than a year. Yes, this is a real flying car that you can buy.

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How Pivotal turned a secret flying car into a real product

THE WORLD’S FIRST FLYING CAR IS READY FOR TAKEOFF

Pivotal’s story began in 2009, when founder Marcus Leng began developing an electric aircraft that could take off vertically without gasoline. In 2011, Leng became the first person to fly a real airplane. He called it BlackFly and worked on it quietly for years. In 2014, the company moved to the Bay Area. In 2018, he finally came out of stealth and revealed BlackFly to the public. That second-generation design became the basis for Helix, the aircraft Pivotal now offers for sale. Leadership changed in 2022 when Ken Karklin took over as CEO. Under his leadership, the company moved from experimental flights to customer bookings and structured training.

What the Pivotal Helix flying car really is

Helix is ​​a single-seat electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, often called eVTOL. Unlike helicopters, it has fixed wings, while traditional airplanes need a runway to take off. Instead, Helix takes off and lands vertically and runs entirely on electricity. As a result, it falls under the FAA’s Part 103 ultralight category, the same regulatory class as a hang glider. That distinction is important because it means you don’t need a pilot’s license to fly it.

At approximately 355 pounds empty, Helix is ​​designed to fly below 200 feet in unregulated airspace. It cruises at about 62 mph and offers about 30 minutes of flight time per charge. Meanwhile, charging takes about 75 minutes using a 240-volt outlet.

How much does it cost to have the Helix flying car?

Helix starts at $190,000. Buyers can also add a transport trailer for $21,000 and a loader for $1,100. To reserve one, customers make a $50,000 deposit. According to Karklin, buyers who book today could receive their aircraft within nine to 12 months. Pivotal says it has already received reservations for more than a year.

Pivotal says it doesn’t publicly share exact sales figures, but the company says interest remains strong. “While Pivotal does not share specific order numbers, we have a good backlog and customers who place a deposit today can expect delivery within 9 to 12 months.”

How long does it take to learn to fly the Helix?

Training takes place at Pivotal headquarters in Palo Alto and at the Monterey Bay Academy Airport. The process includes passing the FAA knowledge exam, completing ground school and learning to control, maintain, transport and assemble the aircraft. Most clients complete the training in less than two weeks. More than 50 people have already been trained to fly Pivotal aircraft. Some are clients. Others are employees.

Why Pivotal says the Helix flying car is designed for safety

Helix was designed with simplicity in mind. It has only 18 moving parts and relies heavily on redundancy to prevent system failures. The aircraft has been independently evaluated by the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association. Pivotal’s quality management system is also certified by SAE International, which sets global aviation safety standards. Noise is another concern that people often raise. During takeoff and landing, the Helix sounds roughly like a pair of leaf blowers. Once in the air, people on the ground may not hear you at all.

Pivotal says years of actual flight data from across its fleet continue to shape the aircraft’s performance. “Across our fleet, and including privately owned BlackFly aircraft, Pivotal eVTOLs have completed more than 9,000 flights to date – of which more than 2,500 had a pilot on board.” That story, the company says, comes without safety incidents. “We have an impeccable flight record and an impeccable safety record.” The company also highlights what it has learned from connected aircraft systems. “We learn a lot from these cloud-connected aircraft.” According to Pivotal, that data has had a direct impact on Helix’s design. “The most important thing is that we have been able to improve the experience and make flying easier, safer and more enjoyable as we move towards production.”

Who already drives Pivotal’s flying cars today?

A small group of early access customers already own and fly BlackFly aircraft, the predecessor to Helix. One of them is Tim Lum, a Washington state resident who purchased his plane in 2023. Since then, Lum has completed around 1,200 flights at more than 100 locations across the United States.

Despite not being an FAA-certified pilot, he regularly takes off and lands on private land with permission and uses small private airports. Additionally, Lum tows the plane from coast to coast and shares it with capable family and friends. For him, flying is something deeply personal. According to Lum, being in the air helps clear his mind and opens doors in a way that money can’t.

To understand what it’s like to fly Helix for the first time, we asked Pivotal what new pilots say after their initial flights.

“First-time pilots, especially those without aviation experience, often talk about the unforgettable joy of their initial flight,” a Pivotal spokesperson told CyberGuy. “The huge smiles on each face say it all.” They say excitement comes from more than just being in the air. “They describe the thrill of being in the air, feeling truly one with the plane and seeing the world from a completely new perspective.” The company says many first-time pilots are also surprised by how the plane feels in flight. “Many are surprised by how freeing it feels to fly, particularly because sitting in the center of gravity creates a different sensation than traditional airplanes: more balanced, more immersive and incredibly intuitive.”

Not everyone is convinced about flying cars.

As with any new aeronautical technology, concerns remain. Aviation groups have raised questions about crowded airspace and how communities will respond as more vehicles take to the skies. Pivotal says it approaches this differently than air taxi companies. While others focus on urban shuttles, Helix is ​​designed for single-person recreation, short trips, and specialized missions.

THE NEW PERSONAL EVTOL PROMISES A PERSONAL FLIGHT FOR LESS THAN $40K

Concerns about noise and airspace often arise when people hear about personal eVTOL aircraft. Pivotal says those concerns are fundamental to the way it designs and operates its vehicles. “At Pivotal, we design light eVTOL aircraft for the real world, where people live, work and play, and that includes addressing regulatory and community concerns around airspace use and noise.” The company says trust is as important as technology. “Gaining public trust is essential to making electric aviation part of everyday life, and noise is a key factor.”

Pivotal says direct involvement helps address those concerns. “We engage directly with communities through events and demonstrations across the country, giving interested parties the opportunity to experience the aircraft first-hand.” The company also relies on independent testing. “Our aircraft are quiet by design. NASA’s independent testing shows that the Pivotal BlackFly produces approximately 70 dBA of flyby noise at 100 feet, a level aligned with how the human ear perceives sound.”

Federal rules also limit where ultralight aircraft can operate. “Under FAA Part 103 regulations, ultralight aircraft can operate in uncontrolled airspace, including public and private lands, about 90% of the country.” Still, Pivotal notes that there are clear limits. “However, ultralight aircraft cannot fly over congested areas, further reducing noise concerns.”

How Pivotal plans to use Helix beyond personal flying

Pivotal plans to operate in three business segments: personal property, public safety and defense. In 2023, the company leased eight aircraft to an innovation arm of the US Air Force and defense technology company MTSI. Those tests helped inform the latest version of Helix. Karklin believes that recreational flying and short-haul travel should not be ruled out. He argues that such use cases can drive adoption more quickly than large urban systems.

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Kurt’s Key Takeaways

Flying cars still sound crazy when you say them out loud, but Helix shows that this idea has moved past the hype and headlines. This is a real plane, flown by real people, with real rules and real limitations. For most people, the Helix will continue to be something to watch rather than buy. The price alone puts it out of reach. Still, their existence matters. This shows that personal flying no longer belongs solely to licensed pilots, airfields and aviation clubs. Pivotal took a slow and deliberate path to get here. That patience may be why Helix feels less like a gimmick and more like a glimpse of what’s coming next. Just as electric cars changed expectations before becoming mainstream, eVTOL personal aircraft are starting from the top and working their way down. The question now is not whether flying cars are possible. It’s how comfortable we feel sharing the sky when they are no longer rare.

Would you trust yourself in a single-seater flying car or does the sky still seem like a line we shouldn’t cross? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

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