Overair, Maker of the Butterfly eVTOL Air Taxi, Completes First Full-Scale Prototype
Overair’s eVTOL is set to begin flight testing early next year.
(Santa Ana, California) Overair, maker of the Butterfly eVTOL air taxi, announced today that it completed the build of its first full-scale prototype aircraft, which is set to begin flight testing early next year.
Photo courtesy of Overair via Flying Magazine.
The company will begin with vehicle-level testing at its Santa Ana, California, headquarters before moving the aircraft to its flight test facility in nearby Victorville, according to Flying Magazine.
Overair hopes to certify Butterfly with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and is working through its G-1 Stage 3 means of compliance, which will establish the criteria for validating its certification basis, according to Flying Magazine. The company expects Butterfly to enter service in 2028, in line with the FAA’s timeline for early advanced air mobility (AAM) operations.
The Butterly, which will accommodate a pilot, five passengers and baggage, will be used for commuter, leisure, medical transport, cargo and military purposes, according to Overair’s website. The company maintains that the “Butterfly tiltorotor eVTOL will set a new standard for safe and near-silent aerial transportation."
Additional Butterfly specs provided by Overair:
Range: > 100 miles
Cruise Speed: 180 mph
Fully Electric Powertrain (zero emissions)
