This week, the first flight of a new jetpack called Jetson ONE took place in the United States. The company that made it says it plans to start sending them to users in 2024.
The company based in Italy has raised $15 million from investors such as musician will.i.am. It says that 300 people have already made pre-orders for the $98,000 Jetson ONE.
Reports say that the Jetson ONE can fly as high as 1,500 feet and as fast as 63 miles per hour. It has eight electric motors, and each one has its own battery pack. These motors are linked to eight blades. All of that is enough to give it about 20 minutes of flight time before it needs to be charged again.
Importantly, the people who worked on it were able to keep the whole thing under 200 pounds. This makes it a “ultralight” airplane, which means that the Federal Aviation Administration does not have to regulate it as strictly as other types of flying cars that are coming out.
That means people who buy the Jetson ONE will be able to play with their new toy without having to get a license, pass a test, or be certified. This is different from how amateur pilots of airplanes and helicopters have to go through important tests and certifications.
CEO Stéphan D’haene told Axios that it takes “about five hours” to learn how to fly a Jetson ONE. Once the pilot is trained, they will use “intuitive joystick controls” to move “while the flight computer handles the complicated stuff.”
There is also a “ballistic parachute” with the item in case something goes wrong.
D’haene said, “Our goal at Jetson is to make flight democratic so that everyone can use the skies.”