It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a drone? Nope, it’s Heather Chirtea in her flying car.
Southern Delaware is home to the world’s first female flying car pilot and owner. Heather flies a pre-production aircraft called the BlackFly, created by inventor Marcus Leng of Pivotal Aero in Palo Alto, California. The one-person aircraft is classified as an ultralight eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle.
While Heather is a licensed pilot, following in the footsteps of her 86-year-old father, John, who is believed to be the oldest person in the world to operate a flying car, BlackFly operators technically do not need either a driver’s license or a pilot’s license. They do, however, have to complete an intensive two-week training program in California and successfully pass all nine flight maneuvers.
Flying cars cannot operate at night or enter controlled airspace. “But 95% of the land mass in the USA is uncontrolled, so I haven’t had any real problems, as long as I avoid congestion over Wilmington, Philly and Dover Air Force Base,” Heather says. Like any electric vehicle, the aircraft needs to be charged. A 240-volt outlet can recharge it in about 40 minutes, while a standard 110-volt outlet takes nearly eight hours. The battery provides about 20 minutes of flight time, or roughly 20 miles of travel.
The flying car is expected to reach the commercial market in late 2026 or early 2027. “That model is called the Helix, and it will retail for about $190,000,” Heather says.
Heather is also the founder of So Fly, a national experiential marketing and event-touring company that produces high-profile activations. Today, she’s combining her career with her passion for flight.
“I’m so lucky to be at a stage in life where I can tie events and flying together,” she says. “I want to inspire the kids of tomorrow to see flying as a possibility, especially girls, so they can really see themselves doing this.”
If you want to catch a peek at Heather’s adventures, follow her on YouTube or visit heatherchirtea.com. Better yet, just look up.
“There is no question about it, you’ll see me flying around this summer,” Heather says. “People sometimes call 911 and report an alien, and then the dispatcher contacts Hudson Fields and they confirm it’s just me,” she says with a laugh.
