Get started in 5 minutes, fly without a license: The 910,000 "Aerial F1" has been booked until 2027.

For decades, people have been fantasizing about the day when they can fly directly to work instead of being stuck in traffic.

However, the reality is far from that simple. Real personal flying vehicles are not like those in the animated series "The Jetsons," where one can fly just by strapping on a jetpack filled with flammable fuel.

Note: "The Jetsons" is an American animated series from the 1960s. In the series, the Jetsons' mode of transportation is quite cool - a personal flying vehicle that looks like a flying saucer or a bubble pod, capable of vertical takeoff and landing and rapid air travel. The driver, George Jetson, often uses it to commute, shuttling between cloud - cities. It can even be folded up like an umbrella and put directly into a briefcase.

Now, a company named Jetson claims that it might truly change the way we travel.

Jetson has launched a personal flying vehicle called Jetson ONE. More precisely, it is a single - person electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, powered by electricity with eight motors, and its fuselage is made of aluminum alloy and carbon fiber.

There is a video circulating on social media showing two passenger - carrying Jetson ONEs flying quickly and nimbly through the woods. Currently, the video has over 4 million views on X.

It made its debut at the 2025 UP.Summit, where the world's first Jetson ONE flying competition was held. Four flying vehicles competed on the track, and Tomasz Patan, the Chief Technology Officer and co - founder of Jetson, also participated in person.

The UP.Summit is a unique aviation event, open only to invited guests, gathering 300 top innovators in the transportation field from around the world.

Jetson calls it the "Formula 1 of the sky." Although its speed doesn't reach that of a racing car, its performance is still quite impressive: the total weight of the aircraft is only 121 pounds (without the battery) and 253 pounds with the battery. The propellers driven by eight motors can enable it to reach the software - limited maximum speed of 63 miles per hour (about 101 kilometers per hour) under the maximum load (210 pounds).

In terms of safety, it borrows design concepts from racing cars. It is equipped with a protective cabin, a ballistic parachute system, an automatic landing system, a hovering system, and can even continue to fly if it loses one motor. Its maximum flight altitude exceeds 1500 feet (about 457.2 meters), equivalent to the height of about 150 floors, similar to the height of the Oriental Pearl Tower.

What's more interesting is that according to Part 103 of the US FAA, this flying vehicle is classified as an ultralight aircraft, so no pilot's license is required to fly it. It can be controlled with one hand using a four - axis joystick, and with its unique flight control system, it is said that one can master it in 5 minutes. Its flight endurance is about 20 minutes.

The price is also quite attractive. If you place an order now, it only costs $128,000 (about 910,000 RMB), including an $8,000 deposit. However, starting next Monday, the price will be raised to $148,000 (about 1.05 million RMB).

Currently, the 2025 and 2026 models are sold out, and new orders are expected to be delivered as early as 2027.

Some netizens commented that these flying vehicles are not suitable for use on regular routes. You can't hover over the road because of power lines and traffic lights. A brand - new "sky highway" would have to be built from scratch.

Some other netizens complained about the loud noise and lack of safety guarantees.

Of course, this type of flying vehicle also has unique use cases. For example, farmers can use it to inspect their land, cattle, sheep, and other areas that need to be checked in a shorter time.

So to speak, this company is really creating a real - life version of "The Jetsons," but for now, it's just a "future toy" for the rich.

A Variety of Flying Vehicles

We did some more research and found that there are quite a few of these oddly - shaped flying vehicles.

For example, Alef Aeronautics, a flying car company previously invested in by Elon Musk, released its prototype Model A in 2022.

This is a black all - electric vehicle without exposed propellers. It can be used on regular roads, has a flight range of 170 kilometers, can take off vertically or horizontally, and can carry up to two people. The vehicle is priced at about $300,000 (about 2.14 million RMB) and has received 3300 pre - orders.

Another example is a human - powered flying bicycle built and tested by Japanese students. It is equipped with huge wings and a large propeller at the rear. The propeller is connected to the pedal system, and when the rider pedals, it can drive the propeller to rotate.

Although it is powered by pedaling, its operation mode is similar to that of an ordinary airplane. It needs to accelerate on a long and straight runway to gain enough kinetic energy and lift to take off. The propeller enables the flying vehicle to take off and maintain altitude.

According to the Birdman Rally hosted by Yomiuri TV, this flying bicycle set a flight distance record of 19 kilometers.

Can you imagine flying in the sky on a "motorcycle" without wings or rotors?

This is the Volonaut Airbike, created by Polish inventor Tomasz Patan, the creator of Jetson ONE.

This is not a conceptual gimmick or a PPT product but a real flying motorcycle. It subverts the design logic of traditional personal flying vehicles: no exposed propellers, no cockpit, just an ultra - light fuselage, jet thrust, and the rider.

The way to drive it is like riding a motorcycle. You can take off by gripping the handlebars and leaning forward. The control system is completed through a helmet with telemetry function. The onboard flight computer converts the rider's body movements into flight instructions in real - time.

Since its debut, the Airbike has sparked a lot of online discussions. Many people compare it to the flying motorcycles in "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi." Especially the red lights at the rear make it look like it flew out of a science - fiction movie.

Despite its unique design, the practicality of the Airbike is still limited. The Airbike weighs only 67 pounds (about 30 kilograms), much lighter than an ordinary motorcycle. However, its current maximum load is 210 pounds (about 95 kilograms), its maximum speed is 63 miles per hour (about 100 kilometers per hour), and its flight endurance is about 10 minutes, which is not enough to support long - distance travel.

The bigger hurdle lies in the price. Its pre - sale price is as high as $880,000 (about 6.2 million RMB), equivalent to the price of a Rolls - Royce. Well, it's unaffordable...

Reference Links:

https://x.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1983771228667249141

https://x.com/Smile_1Please/status/1983969471506346220

https://x.com/Volonaut/status/1948005178247889364

This article is from the WeChat official account “Almost Human” (ID: almosthuman2014), written by Yang Wen, and is published by 36Kr with permission.