Company Founder Pilots Inaugural Flight

Founded in 2016 for purpose of providing the world an entirely new mode of sustainable transportation, Miami, Florida-based Doroni Aerospace announced on 12 July 2023 that company founder Doron Merdinger had become the first individual to successfully pilot a personal electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft in the United States.

In addition to marking a major milestone in the development of Doroni’s eVTOL, the flight speaks at once to the company’s dedication to the advancement of emergent aviation technologies and fidelity to its stated mission of “offering a safety-centric, eco-friendly mobility option to the public—commonly referred to as flying cars.”

By affording commuters safe, easy-to-use, individual transport within urban environments, Doroni aims to transform the means by which humankind travels.

Doroni founder, CEO, and de facto test-pilot Doron Merdinger stated: "I am absolutely thrilled by the remarkable success of our team in completing the first-ever U.S. manned test flight of a personal two-seater eVTOL. It felt like floating on a cushion of air, experiencing a level of freedom and excitement that is unparalleled.”

Mr. Merdinger added: “This is just the beginning for us, and I cannot contain my anticipation to deliver these incredible vehicles to the world. The technology we have developed is truly unlike anything else in the aerospace industry, and it is poised to revolutionize personal transportation in ways we could only dream of before."

Doroni’s eVTOL is a two-seat personal quad-copter with an advertised top speed of 121-knots, a cruising speed of 87-knots, a range of 52-nautical-miles, and a recharge interval—from twenty to eighty-percent charge—of twenty-minutes.

Doroni’s website states the 23-foot-long, 15-foot-wide, 5.5-foot tall contraption will come to market weighing 1650-pounds and having a five-hundred-pound payload. Initially, the website set forth the eVTOL would be offered to the public at an estimated starting retail price of $195,000. The machine’s estimated cost has since risen to $250,000.

Price of admission notwithstanding, Doroni asserts legal operation of its eVTOL will require only a valid driver’s license and completion of a twenty-hour, Doroni-provided training course.

To date, Doroni—by virtue of the equity crowdfunding platform StartEngine.com and the optimism of some 1,900 investors—has raised over $3.6-million. In May 2023, the company launched a Series A offering aiming to raise $20 to $30-million to sustain ongoing development of its eVTOL platform.

Doroni Aerospace COO Yaakov Werdiger remarked of the financing effort: "This offering represents an important landmark in our journey to revolutionize the aviation and personal mobility industry. By pushing the boundaries of technology, we aim to provide our customers with unparalleled convenience and sustainability, setting new benchmarks for the transportation segment.”

FMI: www.doroni.io