Elroy Air Hosts Demo Day: 25-Mile Chaparral Flight Showcases the Future of Autonomous Cargo Aircraft
Last week, Elroy Air welcomed leaders from across the commercial and defense sectors to a Demo Day at our flight test facilities in Byron, CA. Chaparral was on display and flew a 25-mile flight for attendees who also heard from our team and partners about the system’s unique capabilities and our plans to reshape the future of autonomous aerial cargo logistics.
Attendees experienced firsthand how the Chaparral combines long-range endurance with the flexibility of vertical takeoff and landing, opening new possibilities for rapid, efficient, and autonomous cargo delivery in both defense and commercial missions.
“It’s exciting to be part of revolutionary technology in aerospace. Watching today’s flight with the smooth transition from takeoff to wingborne flight and the aircraft’s remarkable stability was an absolute joy. The Chaparral’s hybrid propulsion and advanced flight control systems are clearly well designed,” said David Stepanek, Bristow’s Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer. “We’re excited about the opportunities this aircraft creates, enhancing the services we provide to existing customers and opening new markets through interchangeable pods, equipment, and mission profiles. We look forward to building on Bristow’s legacy of aviation leadership with this expansion of capabilities.”
Throughout the day, our team shared updates on technical progress, flight testing, and the path to scaling production. Partners had the opportunity to see the aircraft up close, ask questions of our leadership team, and discuss the mission profiles Chaparral will enable from troop resupply to humanitarian aid to commercial logistics.
After seeing the Chaparral take flight, Marlinspike’s Co-Managing Partner and CEO Neil Keegan commented: “The dream has become reality! From the start, we were drawn to how the Chaparral addresses both urgent Department of Defense needs and massive commercial market opportunities. We’re proud to support the Elroy Air team as they rapidly scale production to meet this growing demand.”
“Today’s been absolutely incredible. More than 30 stakeholders are here with us including our DoD partners, our earliest commercial customers, as well as investors — all who just got to see the Chaparral fly firsthand and hear from our team and partners as we work to scale production of the aircraft,” said Elroy Air CEO Andrew Clare. “There is so much excitement here today and it reflects the growing momentum we’re seeing as we realize the vision we’ve long been building towards.”
