Mystery craft in New Jersey ‘UFO’ story identified as Pivotal BlackFly eVTOL 

Were the mysterious “drones” that unsettled New Jersey residents in November 2024 connected to a US Army demonstration of the Pivotal BlackFly eVTOL? 

When the New York Post published a story on October 18, 2025, about “strange aircraft” that sparked a wave of UFO and drone sightings across New Jersey in late 2024, the article offered tantalizing clues but few hard details. The Post reported that an “unnamed private contractor” displayed the aircraft recently during a demonstration at the Army’s Unmanned Aerial Systems and Launched Effects Summit at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and that one employee privately claimed, “You remember that big UFO scare in New Jersey last year? Well, that was us.” 

The story described a “roughly 20-foot, four-winged” electric aircraft that flew silently just above the tree line for about 30 minutes, leaving soldiers and guests astonished by its eerie stability and almost vanishing silhouette. The Post published several photos of the aircraft and a short video clip showing the compact craft gliding quietly over the airfield. 

Those photos appeared to settle the mystery. The aircraft shown in the Post article is not a classified Army prototype or an unknown contractor project — it is the Pivotal BlackFly, a single-seat electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) vehicle that has been in limited public display for several years. 

A Pivotal spokesperson confirmed that the company conducted demonstration flights at Fort Rucker, Alabama, in August 2025. However, Pivotal emphasized that it has not flown in New Jersey and was not involved in the 2024 sightings reported there.

“To clarify, Pivotal has not conducted any flights in New Jersey, and our aircraft were not involved in these reported events,” the spokesperson said, adding that the company’s eVTOLs operate under FAA Part 103, which restricts them to rural airspace and daylight or civil-twilight hours.

A closer look at the evidence 

A comparison of the Post’s images with official photographs from Pivotal, formerly Opener Aero, does reveal an exact match: the same tandem-wing configuration, eight electric propellers (four per wing), rounded fuselage pod, and short landing skids. Even the color scheme — a matte tan upper surface with black accents — matches Pivotal’s current livery shown in recent company promotional materials and in a Wall Street Journal article.

The Post reported that the company had flown over New Jersey in November 2024 to “test out their capabilities,” and that it was not required to disclose the operation publicly because it was conducted under a private government contract. That claim has not been substantiated and is directly contradicted by Pivotal, which says it has never operated in New Jersey.

Earlier versions of the aircraft, flown under registration N919EB and branded as the Opener BlackFly, shared identical dimensions and proportions. Observers at Fort Rucker likely interpreted the two overlapping wings as four separate surfaces, explaining the “four-winged” description in the article. 

The BlackFly measures roughly 13 to 14 feet in span, not 20, but to a casual observer at a distance the small electric aircraft could easily appear larger. Its whisper-quiet electric motors and ability to hover or cruise low over the ground give it an almost surreal presence — features that fit the Post’s account of the demonstration. 

The New Jersey “UFO scare” 

In November 2024, residents across New Jersey reported a wave of drone or UFO sightings, beginning near the Army’s Picatinny Arsenal and spreading statewide. Local law enforcement, the FAA, and the FBI fielded hundreds of reports of slow-moving, brightly lit objects hovering at dusk. At the time, federal officials said most incidents involved hobbyist drones, aircraft seen from unusual angles, or bright celestial objects. 

The possibility that a Pivotal BlackFly was tested under a government contract during that period has now been called into doubt following the company’s statement. The company has acknowledged collaboration with the US Air Force and maintains a section on its website devoted to military applications, but it has not commented publicly on any Army-related work beyond confirming it participated in the Fort Rucker event, held in August 2025. Officials at Fort Rucker did not respond to AeroTime’s request for comment. 

Pivotal’s BlackFly is one of the world’s first production eVTOL ultralights. Designed for single-occupant operation under FAA Part 103 regulations, it can take off and land almost vertically, cruise at about 62 mph, and travel up to 25 miles on a charge. The carbon-fiber craft uses distributed electric propulsion to achieve exceptional redundancy and low noise levels — traits that make it ideal for research and demonstration flights near populated areas without drawing much attention until spotted. 

While questions remain about whether the Army or a private partner was operating the vehicle over New Jersey, one conclusion seems clear: the “UFO” that flew its demonstration flight at Fort Rucker was human-made, homegrown, and unmistakably a Pivotal BlackFly eVTOL. 

Editor’s note: This story was updated on October 21, 2025, to include confirmation from Pivotal that it conducted demonstration flights at Fort Rucker, Alabama, in August 2025, and to reflect the company’s statement that it has not operated in New Jersey and was not involved in the 2024 sightings.