Opener says basically anyone can fly these things with very little training. Steering is controlled via joystick and safety redundancies supposedly make it not-dangerous enough for even a novice to take to the skies, although in Canada operators are required to have an ultralight pilot’s license. An onboard computer can take the operator through the most difficult stages of flying the Blackfly—the take off and landing when the vehicle is almost entirely vertical—as well as hold position, route the craft back to a preprogramed “home”and initiate cruise control.

There are three fail-safe systems, all running on independent power sources, so that even the unluckiest of operators can take to the skies and stay up there. The site also lists a “ballistic parachute” as an optional feature.

I can think of few features less optional on a flying car. But perhaps that’s where the money is—not on the flying cars themselves, but on escaping them safely. For those who cheap out, the Blackfly is programed to glide to a landing should all three systems fail.

The only downside is we don’t know how much it costs, yet. Autoweek says it’s billed as being “the price of an SUV,” but as you all know that’s a pretty wide range to cover. Let’s hope it stays cheap! An aircraft for everybody, even the barely qualified. Sounds like fun to me.