Jetson/Ryse/Zapata/FlyNow
Fancy the idea of flying your own electric aircraft over the treetops without spending years on a pilot’s license? The first wave of one-person electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is now heading to market. These intuitive, fly-by-wire single-seaters have attracted hundreds of orders from around the world, and those sold in the U.S. will be classified under the FAA’s ultralight category.
While ultralights don’t require a pilot’s license, the FAA has implemented some regulations: Pilots are not allowed to fly over congested areas, the motorized aircraft must weigh less than 254 lbs., and the maximum speed must be no more than 63.3 mph. The maximum payload for most single-seaters, including the pilot and any gear, is about 230 lbs.
The recreational aircraft will appeal to many outdoor enthusiasts who own large farms or ranches, weekend warriors flying in remote state parks or other public lands, or even the lucky few who live on tropical islands. (Several of these one-seaters have floats that can land on calm water.) The owner of the first Ryse Recon plans to commute from his lakeside home in the Midwest to an airport on the lake’s other shore, while the cofounder of Jetson often flies his one-seater across rural vineyards to the firm’s headquarters in Tuscany.
These one-seaters are the bleeding edge of the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) movement, the emerging segment of the aviation industry that includes drones and eVTOLs of all sizes as well as infrastructure like vertiports. Just as these one-seaters are being introduced into the recreational market, the first multi-person electric taxis are being tested and will start to populate a new air-taxi market by 2025.
Here are seven one-seaters that will soon be flying in skies near you.
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Jetson One
Image Credit: Jetson The Jetson One is “like a real-life Star Wars Landspeeder,” says Jetson CEO Stéphan D’haene. The early YouTube videos on the single-person, electric aircraft seem to confirm that it’s more like Luke Skywalker’s ride than George Jetson’s. The mission at the Tuscany startup is to democratize flight by making the skies available to everyone. That translates into a highly intuitive machine that does not require a pilot’s license and will instead adhere to the FAA’s Ultralight category. Jetson says the One will have high-discharge lithium-ion batteries with 88 kW max total power output on electric brushless outrunner motors for a 20-minute flight time, auto-landing system and, if all systems fail, a ballistic parachute. Pricing starts at $128,000.
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MC ONE
Image Credit: MC CLIC The battery-operated MC ONE also operates around an intuitive avionics system, with projected flight times of 12 to 15 minutes and a top speed of 50 mph. It will also be able to fly at an angle of 55 degrees. The aircraft is designed to balance itself automatically, making minute adjustments based on wind conditions. “This aerial vehicle will make you discover freedom in the third dimension in a different way—flying simply and without restrictions means discovering the world differently,” says Anaïs Jaca, assistant manager of the Monaco-based manufacturer MC CLIC. The MC ONE starts at €140,000, or about $152,000.
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Zapata AirScooter
Image Credit: Zapata After demoing its AirRacer in 2022, France-based Zapata will be launching its more futuristic-looking AirScooter commercially in the United States later this year. What sets it apart from the rest of the one-person pack? “Its patented hybrid powertrain with both combustion and electric engines,” says Jules Birchler, director of business development for the French company. That hybrid engine may seem like sacrilege in the world of electric air vehicles, but it does provide longer range—two hours instead of 20 minutes—and redundancy if one propulsion type fails. “It’s a massive advantage in terms of safety and redundancy,” says Birchler. The aircraft is designed with 12 props positioned on 8 booms on top. It has a maximum speed of 62 mph. Price TBD.
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RYSE Recon
Image Credit: RYSE The RYSE Recon is yet another futuristic one-person design. The Recon has similar stats to the others on this list, but a key differentiator will be its ability to land on water, thanks to the six landing pads that double as floats. The air vehicle’s six 40 kW electric motors, each powered by a 100-volt DC battery, spin individual props. The pilot’s weight has to remain under 255 pounds. The company says it will have a self-governing 63 mph top speed, 20 minutes of flight time, and 400-foot max altitude. The first units are being delivered shortly to new owners. The retail price is $150,000.
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Pivotal Helix
Image Credit: Opener Opener, which started test-flying the one-person Blackfly in 2018, has changed its name to Pivotal, and its first production aircraft is the Helix. CEO Ken Karklin said the Helix will have “more margin on power and propulsion, and even more robustness when it comes to fault tolerance” than the Blackfly. But the good news for Helix buyers is that the first-generation Blackfly underwent 6,500 uncrewed and 500 crewed test flights since its first flight in 2018. Karklin says so many manned flights puts the aircraft far ahead of its competitors in real-world testing, while the knowledge gained will be transferred to the Helix. The aircraft has a battery storage of 8 kWh, and a level 2 charger (240 V / 50 A) can get you from 20 percent back to 100 percent in just 75 minutes. Perhaps the best technology transfers, Karklin notes, are that “the fun and utility are only getting better.” The Helix is priced around $190,000.
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FlyNow
Image Credit: FlyNow Austria-based FlyNow plans to take a different path into the personal transportation market by putting its one-person eVTOL into freight transport first. “We will have hundreds of thousands of flights with cargo before we produce the personal air vehicles,” Yvonne Winter, cofounder and COO of FlyNow, tells Robb Report. The passenger version will have multiple bells and whistles, including excellent visibility, cooling and heating in the enclosed cockpit, and a comfortable business seat rated to IATA standards. The aircraft will have a top speed of 81 mph and total flight time of 30 minutes. Price TBD.
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LIFT Hexa
Image Credit: LIFT The Hexa by LIFT is taking a different track to market as a rental aircraft, rather than being sold to individual owners. The idea is to democratize flight by making it affordable at $249 in 15-minute increments. “A dedicated instructor guides you through classroom and virtual-reality training before you head to the flight line,” Jace ‘Digit’ McCown, LIFT’s chief pilot and director of flight operations tells Robb Report. Once in the air, the newbie pilots the aircraft with a single joystick while the instructor provides continuous guidance. Hexa boasts 18 independent electric motors but only needs 12 to safely reach its destination. It also includes an autonomous ballistic parachute and can land on water with five floats.
