PADUCAH, Ky. (WSIL) -- The world is changing everyday and one man in western Kentucky wants to be front and center.
Dean Owen, of Paducah, is the new owner of a lightweight aircraft called BlackFly made by the company based in California.
Owen says he applied for Pivotal's Early Access Program and was selected as one of the first customers to train on how to fly the aircraft.
The aircraft has the look of a plane but moves like a helicopter. The BlackFly is an electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle. The device hovers and flies like a helicopter except it runs on electricity rather than gas.
The company's senior flight instructor, Wayne Warner, says people don't need a pilot's license to operate the aircraft but they do require several hours and weeks in training.
"We have them go to a pilot ground school to have them learn the basics of airspace, chart reading and making sure they're operating the vehicle legally," Warner said. "We're mirroring the Federal Aviation Administration certification standards."
The latest version of BlackFly is the first to go on the market though not many people own one just yet.Â
Two people in the world, including Owen, own one of the vehicles. Owen says he's been following the company for eight years and had kept an eye on its aircrafts. Owen says the device is a sign that the future is close.
"We're at the very edge of the next massive technology bloom that's going to revolutionize life in America and the world," Owen said. "It's going to be 10 times the boom that the 90's was."
Owen still can't fly the aircraft in his 30-acre property because the trees and the hills pose a safety hazard. Owen has hired people to cut the trees down and create a landing pad.
Owen says he still needs at least a week of training before he's ready to fly.
