Video: This personal flying machine costs less than $100,000
After watching several videos of the Jetson One flying over golf courses, deserts and trees, we got our first in-person glimpse of the flying machine in Southern California. At first glance, the Jetson One looks like a drone and a Formula 1 car had a baby.
Jetson One front view.
Jesse Orrall/CNET
In the cockpit, there are two joysticks: one raises and lowers the vehicle and the other controls forward, backward, left, right and yaw. With the help of the flight computer, Jetson co-founder and chief innovation officer Tomasz Patan says anyone can learn to fly it in “minutes”.
This joystick controls up/down on the Jetson One.
Jesse Orrall/CNET
It’s fully electric, with the battery submerged under the rider’s bucket seat, which is made of carbon fiber and Kevlar. The Jetson One has enough engines that it can stay in flight even after one engine fails. GPS on top and lidar on the bottom power an auto-landing feature, and according to Patan, a ballistic parachute on the back can “save you in a worst-case scenario of 20 meters.”
The eight propellers are spread over four arms that fold for easy storage and transport.
Jetson One takes flight.
jetson
The Jetson One was designed to meet FAA requirements for an ultralight vehicle, meaning it could be flown without a pilot’s license in the US. With a flight time of 20 minutes, the Jetson One’s main purpose is to have a good time and get a taste of what it’s like to fly.
The Jetson One is available for sale for $98,000, with an $8,000 deposit. They’re still in the testing phase, but senior adviser Rikard Steiber says the company has “hundreds of pre-orders” and hopes to start having the vehicles in US skies in less than a year.
To see the Jetson One in action, watch the video in this article.
