I Test Drove a Flying Car. Get Ready, They’re Here.

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Oct. 17, 2025 11:30 am ET | Dan Neil

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Welcome, and congratulations. You’ve lived long enough to see the age of flying cars—privately owned, solo-piloted aircraft, free to operate in unrestricted airspace, much as automobiles can take to the open road. And they’re all electric. I knew you’d be thrilled.

Here in the future, we call them ultralight eVTOLs (electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles). Of course, they don’t much resemble the levitating Studebakers and auto-gyrating Chevys foretold in pulp science fiction. The Pivotal BlackFly—the first series-produced ultralight eVTOL to reach the consumer market (2023)—doesn’t even have wheels. It takes off and lands on its curved keel. It’s also amphibious, behavior highly atypical in cars.

Don’t be afraid. Try the VR simulator. The two joysticks accommodate righties or lefties, but you only use one to fly. The rocker switch on top pushes/pulls for climb/descend. The joystick controls speed and turn/bank angle. The trigger switches between flight modes: Hover and Cruise. In Hover mode, the joystick provides fine-grained yaw control, allowing the BlackFly to execute its surreal pirouette.

The author gets ready for liftoff. The Pivotal BlackFly aircraft has a pilot weight limit of 200 pounds; an updated version, the Helix, offers slightly more capacity (220 pounds). Flight time is limited to 20 minutes.

To take off, simply hold the toggle switch forward. The props turn slowly in unison—calibrating, calibrating—then spool furiously, a squadron of lawn mowers on deck. The machine vaults into the air, nose-first, throwing you on your back, looking at the sky. It will just hang like that until you push the joystick forward. Remember to keep that thumb going up.

Around 100 feet, pilots transition to Cruise mode. Click the trigger and the BlackFly noses...

---

TOPICS: Conspiracy; Hobbies; Humor
KEYWORDS: deanwinters

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Who needs Air Traffic Control anyway?

[Bullish]

We’ve had flying cars for decades... They’ve always been death traps.

[PeterPrinciple]

The Pivotal BlackFly aircraft has a pilot weight limit of 200 pounds;

---

I guess I am not a customer...............

[x]

Car/boats have been around since LBJ’s day, but how many people have them now?

Quad bicycles are also a thing, but do you really want to take them out on the interstate?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

We’ve had flying cars for decades... They’ve always been death traps.

The Benson Gyrocopter comes to mind.

[GingisK]

You and will have to wait for the Heavy Lift version, The C5A of Pivotal BlackFly.

[frank ballenger]

Actually it looks like sort of a plane that can taxi a lot on the ground.

What kind of roads and parking spaces have width like that?

[Beowulf9]

Ya know, it looks SORTA like George's, but will it fit the dog?

[iamgalt]

Hoo boy imagine thousands of these things in the hands of some of the crazies you see on the road.

[frank ballenger]

Soon....Progressive Insurance will have the guy go to the library, the cleaners and the convenience store for a refill.

[Mozzafiato]

This will sprout a whole new industry for carcass removal

[Celtic Conservative]

“Welcome, and congratulations. You’ve lived long enough to see the age of flying cars...”

Not really. These are expensive toys for the rich. And electric? Better hope it comes with parachutes.

CC

[Leaning Right]

Wow, I’m really behind the times. Now they have flying cars. And just the other day I was feeling all fancy in my steam-powered car.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

Meanwhile in the real world....

Americans are drowning in auto loan delinquencies; report says Congress needs to fix it USA Today, 10 September 2025.

Auto Loan Defaults Surge Toward Crisis-Era Highs as $1.66 Trillion Debt Weighs on Borrowers Bad Credit, 16 September 2025

Auto loan delinquencies jump 50% as car prices reach new heights Detroit News, 17 October 2025.

WSJ has their "let them eat cake" marketing game up their sphincter.....

[bigbob]

Anyone can do a flying car. I’m waiting for one like George’s that collapses into a briefcase.

[mass55th]

Self driving cars. What could go wrong.
Flying cars. What could go wrong.
What's next? Self flying cars?

[SaveFerris]

Uhh, watch your wallet with Jane...

Just saying....just saying 😉🤣🤣🤣😛😜😝

I’m CERTAIN that it is NOT our “Jane” though

The dog walking treadmill is a problem too

I think the robot 🤖 maid is OK.

I think 🤔🤔🤔

[DIRTYSECRET]

Driverless cars are more probable. Just think. Fewer fender benders. Less need for insurance and highway patrol. 80 mph bumper to bumper traffic. Get rid of that 2nd car as uber vehicles will be operating 100% of the daytime. Get rid of the 1st car! Think of all the empty streets and parking lots. Gonna be awesome.

[Steve_Seattle]

"flying cars"

Using the normal definition of a "car," these aren't cars. They are open air, hold only one passenger, and have no space for any kind of cargo, not even a sack of groceries unless it's sitting on your lap. They are expensive toys.

[SaveFerris]

[They’ve always been death traps]

The way it was performing with that high AOA...
I was expecting it to become a crash video

Yikes 😳