VIDEO: Top Secret Star Wars-like Valkyrie First Flight Revealed

Last week we published the first pics of the emerging Cobalt Valkyrie Co50, and it looked really cool. After making inquiries about why the video was still off limits, the company reconsidered and decided to let Plane & Pilot release a truncated version of the video. The reason why it was kept off limits might surprise you.

Cobalt CEO and Valkyrie chief designer David Loury, it turns out, wasn't happy with the rough appearance of the airplane, which cuts a striking figure when it's in its factory finished finery. After assuring the Cobalt team that Plane & Pilot's readers were a sophisticated bunch and that we knew the nature of certification testing---tuft testing is not new!indeed, such tests help underscore the seriousness of the program.

For those of you haven't yet seen the story we did last week on the Valkyrie, check it out here. The airplane is slated for certification, eventually, but the company plans to sell kits for the 260 knot, 350-hp five-seater for the time being. No timetable on first kit deliveries, and the FAA certification program is just getting started and approval is probably still a few years off.

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Isabel GoyerWriter

A commercial pilot, editor-in-Chief Isabel Goyer has been flying for more than 40 years, with hundreds of different aircraft in her logbook and thousands of hours. An award-winning aviation writer, photographer and editor, Ms. Goyer led teams at Sport Pilot, Air Progress and Flying before coming to Plane & Pilot in 2015.