Helicopter Specialist Pre-Orders 20-50 'Butterfly' Aircraft

Bristow Group, a "vertical flight solutions" company, has pre-purchased a batch of the as-yet unmade Butterfly eVTOL aircraft from OverAir. Along with the deal, the two companies agreed to explore commercial aerial taxi service in emerging, densely populated markets. 

OverAir is yet another entrant into the burgeoning Urban Air Mobility market, boasting a 5-seat, intercity, quad rotor aircraft the company sees as an efficient metro runabout. The company combines forces of chief engineer Abe Karem with Korean defense contractor Hanwha Systems, combining Karem's large body of aeronautical experience with the company's stout funding to start. The company found a series of investments, ultimately garnering $150 million between military and private partnerships. Some reports had placed initial propulsion tests towards the end of 2021, but OverAir's expansion in its Santa Ana, California headquarters is the only recent development of note. 

The Butterfly is slated to have a "2025 path to FAA certification" in the company press, which could see some acceleration with the addition of Bristow's help. The helicopter specialist is said to bring developmental assistance for flight planning procedures, design considerations, key performance parameters, maintenance procedures, infrastructure, ground support operations, and fleet management. 

“Bristow’s decades of vertical lift experience will greatly enhance Butterfly’s path to commercialization. Their operating insight, combined with our development and execution of the Butterfly program, will position Butterfly to serve Bristow as a valuable workhorse on high-density routes,” said Ben Tigner, Overair CEO. “We’re elated to learn from Bristow’s practical expertise and ultimately deliver an aircraft optimized for their use cases.”

"Our MOU with Overair allows us to advance our leadership position in the vertical transportation market that we’ve built over the past seventy plus years and will now set the stage for the next generation of vertical flight. Our collaboration facilitates expansion into new high-density geographic markets with sustainable, innovative and efficient vertical lift and aerial transport services," said Bristow CEO Chris Bradshaw. "As the global leader in vertical lift, Bristow's operational expertise and efficiency, supported by the trust and confidence of our customers, can safely bring eVTOL aircraft into the market.”

FMI: www.bristowgroup.com, www.overair.com