Cheaper, maybe, but 15 minutes at a time (allowing a reserve) then what? Plug it into the portable generator on the trailer you brought it on and wait? I think it’s a toy, and not a particularly practical one at that. Certainly not a very safe one, either for the occupant or those around it.

A quick change battery will make these kinds of things a lot more useable and useful- using a spare battery (or two or three).

Electric-only flight will be only a niche market for a long time to come, but I can see niches in vehicles like this to check on your "north 40" instead of using a golf cart, gator, etc.; I appreciate that at the same time it's an expensive(!) toy compared to those wheeled, terrestrial alternatives. Don't forget to "dress for the walk home."

Invent/devise/perfect an inexpensive and easy to use system for that and it'll open up a few more uses for manned e-VTOL. (Until then, it'll be just an expensive toy.)



I can see quick change batteries opening up another niche in primary flight training using electric motorgliders. Think about that: one battery = one lesson. A flight school could also stash a spare battery at a second airport, >50 miles away (you could even send your solos there). But, there is some $$ and technical problems yet to be solved.

There might be other limitations on back to back 20 minutes flights due to motor cooling issues.

So you're saying none of that stuff is worth buying now, only after better batteries arrive?

Tough crowd.

Looks like a bundle of fun to me

I'd love one to make my commute back and forth to work. I've got space to takeoff and land on both ends.

The first personal computer was ridiculously expensive. Then the prices came down.
The first cell phone was ridiculously expensive. Then the prices came down.
The first flat-screen TV was ridiculously expensive. Then the prices came down.
The first Jetson One is ridiculously expensive......

... then they declared bankruptcy.

In your list, the first 3 items are useful and were made in the billions. The Jetson making it past 100 made is questionable, and 1000 made certainly not. No economies of scale here to lower prices.

Mike C.

... then they declared bankruptcy.

In your list, the first 3 items are useful and were made in the billions. The Jetson making it past 100 made is questionable, and 1000 made certainly not. No economies of scale here to lower prices.

Mike C.

JOOC, what would be your plan when the weather turns bad about quitting time? Avoiding rush hour traffic would sure be nice though (if I was still working).

I think you may be surprised here.

Look at the Side-By-Side market. Those things have gotten insane, not uncommon for your average working folk to spend 50K+ on a toy. Some of them are nicer than my vehicles, there are some new electric ones that are over 100k and people are buying them.
Same with wake/surf boats. It used to be that a nice nautique, supra etc was 50-70K. Now there are many many of them over 250K with people still buying them.
Don't underestimate what people will spend on "useless" toys.

Fifteen minutes at a time? With landings and battery changes in between? How long would that take compared to a couple of guys on horseback who can stay out all day?

Fifteen minutes at a time? With landings and battery changes in between? How long would that take compared to a couple of guys on horseback who can stay out all day?

We just had a drone about this size, held 18 gallons of material, spray 90 acres infested with mesquite, huisache etc. it was 100% autonomous, using a cameras + computer to actually spot spray individual plants. LiDAR kept it tactically safe and allowed it to operate below tree top level. 90 acres took about 3.5 hrs, coming back to base to change batteries and reload material every 10-20. They just had a big generator in the trailer charging batteries.

The application cost was about 1/3 of guys with back pack sprayers. Respective materials, while different, were a push cost wise

Efficacy was 99%. As far as we can tell the only thing it missed were some little outlier species that we forgot to add to the list of target species, in the app:-)

I could see that thing checking and moving cattle easily, while the operator sits in the truck on a screen.

Pretty jazzy

https://youtu.be/n3YndnV6yN8?si=fqhQnnxp6UyTQmYw

If I were in the appropriate tax bracket I would buy one in a heartbeat!

I used to rip around the airport at 20 feet in a helicopter when we needed time put on an aircraft for one reason or another. Landing on gravel piles, in clearings, chasing deer off the runway, pirouettes around with windsock, etc... It's about the most fun you can have!