20m flight time at 63 mph top speed. Lol.
https://www.inceptivemind.com/jetson-one-ultralight-single-seat-electric-aerial-vehicle/21759/
20m flight time is a real downer. This is a joke for $92k. It needs to have a least an hour to really be useful for anything.
Its a cool idea though. Much more appealing than those paramotors.
This is just the beginning though. The real problem becomes one of energy density:mass. The developers already know that. That area is already showing marked improvement across the board. Right now it's just a startup. Imagine what will happen if an investor with real money decides to back it.
How about a small ceramic gas turbine feeding power directly to the motors (and to a smaller battery pack for emergency backup power for a controlled landing in case of failure)?
https://infogalactic.com/info/Gas_turbine#Microturbines https://www.sbir.gov/node/1654357 https://www.electrochem.org/dl/ma/201/pdfs/1108.pdf https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/45114 https://enertwin.com/
At one point I remember seeing an experiment using an alcohol fueled ceramic micro turbine only about 1 square inch and running at about 1,000,000 rpm. To be used to power electronic devices with better energy density than batteries.
I retired out of a unit at Ft. Bragg in 2009. I can just about guarantee you that as soon as this video hit, somebody was up in the commander's office, asking him, "Why don't we have these?" When I saw the jet-pack guys doing a VBSS exercise, I thought, "Well, okay, that's very nice, but you can't shoot while you're flying that thing can you? It's loud af and you make a great target.
This Jetson thing can hover. And be controlled by remote. Now imagine one or more guys with M240's being able to approach a target in these things and then hover just out of hearing range, in support by fire positions near the target.
Imagine being a bad guy on the 20th floor of a building, thinking he's safe because of how high up he is, controlling the high ground, all of the elevators and stairwells.
Imagine sending the Jetson out empty, by remote, in a remote SAR scenario with a thermal camera package. Find the subject, land next to them, tell them to get in, fly them out.
Critical resupply with follow-on CASEVAC.
Those are just a few, off the top of my head.
The thing is all-electric, meaning batteries. It would do better with a standard small turbine engine feeding those 8 propellers. A lot better.
But that isn't progressive.
The first cars were a joke too
You seem to believe that I don't believe this ultralight has potential.
That's faster than most highways during rush hour
(post is archived)