Possible VSTOL craft sighting?

Attachments

  • airforce prototyp drone.JPG
    airforce prototyp drone.JPG
    26.7 KB · Views: 21
  • airforce prototyp drone-1.JPG
    airforce prototyp drone-1.JPG
    4.4 KB · Views: 14
The company is based in California, and it looks like they haven't begun production, so it'd be special circumstances to see this flying in New Jersey.

Your best bets are:
• contact the company, ask them if BlackFly has been to New Jersey recently
• find the source footage for the clip, if it is fake
 
I don't fool around on Facebook much, but I've noticed that when I do, FB is desperate for me to watch some Reels. Much like YouTube with their Shorts, these 2, dare I saw legacy, social media companies have been hit hard by TicTok and its short format, so they came up with their own versions.

In the case of Reels, I've seen lots of straight up fakes, CGI and model RC aircraft sort of passed off as real. Or not. The only thing that matters is you looked. I just logged into Facebook and sure enough first Reel up is this Lufthansa 747 having an engine flame out. Or maybe it's an asnahtfuL 747:

EDIT: I just noticed this lame ass thing isn't even titled right; it's not trying to land it's taking off. Again, the only point is to make you look so FB can show you the next Reel and the next and the next.....


Source: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1306739236992307


There is little to nothing in the OP video that suggests this thing is actually flying. We do see some power lines and clouds but it's mostly just a jerky series of stills with some repetitive audio.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RTM
Here is my screenshot of the video and a vstol craft

Good call Nicole, the thing in the YouTube footage is at least very similar to a Pivotal Blackfly VTOL personal air vehicle,
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pivotal_BlackFly, or maybe its successor, the Pivotal Helix.

Below: (Left) Claimed drone video, (Right) Blackfly in flight.

Capture.JPG
hq2.jpg


Either could easily be mistaken for a drone. I suspect the footage/ picture is real, but whether it's from New Jersey is a different matter.
Blackfly length 13 ft 5 in (4.09 m), wingspan 13 ft 7 in (4.14 m).

Blackfly

blackfly.JPG


Helix

Helix_5-resized-1-1400x600-1.jpg


Manufactured by Pivotal, their website here https://pivotal.aero/?from_opener=1
 
Back
Top