You might look at this machine and think it looks strange, but what if I told you that this is not a drone, but actually a flying car. Two years ago, in mid 2024 an American company called Pivotal (Opener) released its newest vehicle.

Helix is the third attempt at a single occupancy machine powered by high-speed fans. The Canadian engineer and inventor Marcus Leng had previously made three versions known as Black- fly. Funnily enough the name “BlackFly” came from the infamous biting insects of the Canadian wilderness, as nod to its southern Ontario roots.

One thing that sets Helix apart from Blackfly is that this product is on the market, inviting consumers to purchase and partake in the future.

While Helix and Blackfly have both undergone multiple variations , the design has remained roughly the same. They have two curved wings on the front and back of the craft, each with four propellers, these allow you to take off vertically in a way similar to a helicopter. This makes it much more space efficient and able to travel to many more rural areas, where runways and landing strips may not be available.

Another choice along the design process was to power these vehicles by electricity. This makes them heavier than if it were a gasoline powered vehicle. Depending on the situation, having this machine run on electricity can be a huge pro or con. For example, some rural locations may not have stations to reliably charge a vehicle due to its high voltage requirements (240 V for 75 minutes). However, one upside that it is more cost efficient compared to gas costs that fluctuate often.

Helix isn’t just practical because it's an EV it is also partially modular. This means that individuals who do not own a large space to store Helix in its flight ready footprint of 14’ by 14’ can choose to remove the wings for storage, decreasing its size to 14’ by 5’. When the pilot is ready to reassemble their craft, Pivotal is claiming you can fully transform it in half an hour, “Taking it from storage to sky” as they word it.

Due to the FAA’s current classification of Helix, you do not need a pilot’s license to operate it, but for safety reasons Pivotal does make you complete a comprehensive training to ensure you are familiar with the vehicle’s overall performance.

Unfortunately, you are not allowed to use it as a mode of transportation in the city. Still, you could use it in the less populated areas as a simpler and cheaper way to travel, especially if roads are limited or very busy.

As of the time of writing this Transport Canada has not commented on this rising interest in the industry. So for the time being you cannot operate Helix in Canada.

Personal vehicles aren’t the only thing that Pivotal has on its radar, they have also expressed interest in using Helix for public safety. Search and rescue workers can use the vehicle to survey large areas that may be costly or difficult to do with traditional helicopters, that are larger and require more expensive fuel. EMT’s (Emergency Medical Technicians) can use Helix to travel to emergencies quicker, bypassing traffic, or rural areas in order to provide life-saving care faster than a grounded ambulance.

After all that, you are probably wondering how much this marvel of the sky costs. Pivotal offers a number of packages for you to choose from. All ranging in prices and accessories included.

The base package starts at $190,000 USD and includes a flight panel, a landing camera charger, transportation cart, pilot training and a warranty. The second middle tier package costs $240,000 USD and comes with a fancier transportation cart, two chargers, a camera with landing assistance, and, air traffic assist. The final package is the most expensive and costs $260,000 and includes three chargers, aircraft lighting, emergency locator transmission and an additional pilot training for a friend of family member, and the option to fully customize the exterior of your Helix.

If you want to purchase your own aircraft or enquire about it further, you can visit Pivotal's website at pivotal.aero To reserve your own personal aircraft today, they do require a $9,000 deposit to confirm you are a serious buyer. But if you're not ready to take on that expense, the company also offers the option to request a demonstration flight to ensure you're informed in your purchase.

Helix won't replace your car for the morning commute, not yet, anyway. But it is proof that the future of personal flight isn't a PowerPoint slide or a concept gathering dust at a trade show. It's a certified, production-ready aircraft that people can actually buy today. Though limited to a few countries for now, places like China, Japan, and the United States have seen great success with them. As regulatory frameworks catch up and infrastructure expands, vehicles like this could quietly rewrite the rules of commuting. For anyone who's ever looked up at a helicopter and wished they could skip the traffic, that's not science fiction anymore. That's a product and it's taking off.