Ditch the traffic, channel your inner bond: the Jetson One takes flight – and maybe your breath away…
Starting off as a jetpack, this Swedish-made flyer is the brainchild of Peter Ternstrom and Tomasz Patan; who have finally perfected a flying car to awaken the James Bond in all of us. From concept in 2018, to commercial consumer-friendly version, they’ve delivered a personal aerial vehicle that offers the convenience of an Uber – in 24/7 flight mode.
Known as the Jetson One, their electric VTOL is an octocopter with four arms stretching from its fuselage. Power comes from the four rotors that produce a combined 88 kW, fed from a lithium-ion battery. Best of all, this personal air taxi is categorised as an ultralight aircraft in many countries, so you don’t need a license to fly this thing, just massive kahunas.
With a simplistic 3-axis joystick and throttle lever at your control, you can easily dominate the skies, while remembering the times you were stuff in traffic. Up above you can hit a top speed of 102 km/h, with a max range of 34 km – but only if you make the weight. At the moment flight time is limited to a short 20 minutes with a 95 kg pilot – so you may need to skip those dessert courses.
The onboard computer ensures stability during flight, but in the case of turbulence or worse, the One can fly on just three of its rotors, and is equipped with Lidar sensors-driven terrain tracking and obstacle avoidance. It also has a hands-free hover feature and a ballistic parachute should things literally go downhill.
For a complete machine, you’ll need around $92,000, although it comes as a partially assembled kit including motors, propellors, aluminum frame and assembly guide. From there, get your Ikea on.
The Jetson One is similar to concepts from companies like Opener and SkyDrive. Although many are in the game, not all are currently taking orders. Currently, Jetson’s entire 2023/24 production is sold out – nuff said.
By Bill Varetimidis
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