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Jetson ONE personal flying vehicle

8 min read

From: mk_thisisit

The Jetson ONE is a single-person, ultra-light, electric personal flying vehicle, developed with the vision of becoming the “Tesla of flying vehicles” [00:00:24] [03:17:59]. Its creator, Tomek, describes it as a “flying car,” a term rooted in a long-held dream in the United States, reminiscent of “The Jetsons” cartoon, after which the company is named [02:00:00] [02:02:02]. While “passenger drone” is not an accurate term as drones are typically unmanned, the hope is for “Jetson” to become the common term for this type of device [02:27:00] [02:52:00].

Features and Specifications

The Jetson ONE was designed to be simple in construction, compact, and ultra-lightweight [03:07:00].

  • Weight: It weighs only 40 kg (without batteries) and about 90 kg with batteries [03:18:00] [03:21:00].
  • Speed: It can reach a maximum speed of 100 km/h, which is aligned with regulations for ultra-light vehicles [03:28:00] [03:30:00].
  • Flight Ceiling: The maximum flight ceiling is not officially specified, but flying low to the ground (like Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars) provides the greatest pleasure [03:36:00] [03:40:00] [03:46:00].
  • Flight Time & Range: It has a flight time of about 20 minutes, allowing it to cover approximately 30 km in a straight line [04:16:00] [04:22:00].
  • Intuitive Control: Flying the device is very intuitive, with an onboard computer simplifying control, making it possible for new pilots to learn in minutes [03:53:00] [04:06:06].
  • Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL): A key feature is its ability for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) within a space of 5 square meters [05:31:00] [05:37:00]. It can take off stably even in confined spaces, as shown in promotional films [05:45:00].

Safety Features

Safety is a paramount concern for the Jetson ONE [02:50:00].

  • Ballistic Parachute: It will be equipped with a ballistic parachute system [02:58:00] [02:59:00] [03:16:00].
  • Safety Cage: The pilot sits within a safety cage, inspired by racing car designs, and is secured with four-point seat belts [02:22:00] [02:30:00] [02:33:00].
  • Redundant Systems: The onboard computer has a triple-cloned system for safety [02:41:00]. It also has eight propellers and eight engines, allowing flight even if one or two (on opposite sides) are lost [02:52:00] [02:55:00].
  • Software-Driven Stability: A sophisticated software layer enables the vehicle to hover stably even with hands off the joysticks, regardless of wind conditions [03:06:00] [03:14:00]. The machine is designed to prevent pilot errors, with sensors ensuring the vehicle does not crash [03:37:00] [03:42:00].

Purpose and Intended Use

The primary assumption for the Jetson ONE is the fun of flying, making it primarily a recreational vehicle [04:55:00] [04:58:00]. It is not intended for daily commuting in densely populated areas like going shopping or to work unless the location is outside such areas [04:26:00] [04:53:00].

However, there are other interesting applications:

Development Journey

The idea for the Jetson ONE stemmed from Tomek’s childhood dream of flying his own vehicle, inspired by films and technical magazines [11:17:00] [11:37:00]. His passion for designing and building remote-controlled models, fostered by his father, eventually led him to build larger and larger helicopters for aerial filming services in the late 2000s, before drones were common [11:50:00] [12:57:00] [13:12:00]. This progression led to the idea of building an electric helicopter large enough for a person to sit inside and fly [13:29:00] [13:35:00].

The development of Jetson ONE began with a conversation about putting a person in such a device [14:11:00]. Tomek decided to move to Italy for its more favorable climate for outdoor testing year-round, which was crucial for rapid prototyping [14:49:00] [15:02:00] [15:31:00].

Early Challenges and Milestones

  • Initial Prototype: The first “proof of concept” vehicle was built quickly on a very small budget of several thousand dollars in just three weeks in a rented garage, experiencing temperatures around zero degrees Celsius [14:39:00] [15:34:00] [16:02:00] [16:10:00]. Potatoes were even used as ballast for early manned flight simulations [16:31:00] [16:35:00].
  • Funding Challenges: After successful initial flights, funding ran out, leading to a temporary return to Poland and the sale of Tomek’s car to continue the project [16:59:00] [17:15:00] [17:21:00].
  • “One Chance” Mission: The realization that there was only “one chance to do it right” fueled a mission to make the single flying copy perfect, as a crash would mean losing everything [17:29:00] [17:33:00].
  • Design and Production: A major challenge was designing the vehicle not just to be futuristic and light, but also producable, a new area for Tomek [18:01:00] [18:03:00].
  • Personal Development: The journey also involved personal challenges like time management and motivation during difficult months when problems seemed to mount [18:20:00] [18:33:00].

The development ultimately took over three to four years [16:49:00]. Finding early investors for such a “bold, unrealistic project” was difficult [19:04:00] [19:13:00]. An early investor in the United States, with a different attitude towards such ventures, became the first customer and provided initial funds [19:19:00] [19:28:00].

Recent Milestones

  • Italian Certification: The most recent and significant milestone is the certification in Italy, the first of its kind in the world, allowing the ultra-light vehicle to fly everywhere in uncontrolled airspace (outside airports and big cities) after short training [06:07:00] [06:26:00] [06:30:00] [06:40:00].
  • Remote-Controlled Flights: The ability to perform remote-controlled flights without exposing test pilots to unnecessary risk is another crucial development, allowing for more detailed flight parameter setting and iteration [06:50:00] [07:01:00] [07:20:00]. This has greatly accelerated development for subsequent versions of the Jetson [07:10:00].
  • Funding Round: A substantial financial round of $15 million USD was closed, attracting known investors [19:34:00] [21:16:00]. This funding helped rebuild the Italian facility and staff the growing team of about 30 people [21:09:00] [22:05:00] [22:10:00].
  • Public Flight in US: Weeks prior to the interview, the first public flight of the Jetson ONE in the United States took place in Texas, a significant event in front of investors and industry founders [37:34:00].

Regulations, Certifications, and Sales

The Jetson ONE is priced at $98,000, with a prepayment reserving a production slot [09:21:00] [09:24:00]. This prepayment model helps finance development [09:30:00].

  • Sales: Over 300 units have been sold since sales began in 2021 [08:28:00] [08:31:00] [08:34:00].
  • United States: Most sales are to the United States, where the Jetson ONE does not require a pilot license to fly under Part 103 ultralight regulations [08:40:00] [08:43:00] [08:46:00] [10:43:00]. Customers undergo training with Jetson before flying [08:52:00].
  • Europe: Regulations in Europe are more challenging. However, the recent Italian certification (a “UL 115” class in Poland) is a crucial first step that will allow flights in other European countries, depending on individual country regulations [08:58:00] [09:00:00] [09:10:00] [10:05:00] [10:14:00]. Poland, for example, uses regulations copied from the US, meaning Jetson ONE can theoretically fly there now with the necessary training [10:25:00] [10:32:00]. Obtaining a Private Pilot License (PPL) for traditional aviation typically takes a year and incurs huge costs, which Jetson ONE aims to circumvent with its short, two-to-three-day training program [07:57:00] [08:15:00].

Pilot School

Jetson will also establish the world’s first school for pilots of “flying cars” in Italy [00:35:00] [02:28:00] [02:30:00] [02:32:00].

Vision and Future Plans

The long-term vision for Jetson is to transfer road traffic into the air, creating cities with less pollution and ground traffic, similar to visions seen in science fiction films like Back to the Future [03:24:00] [03:28:00] [03:33:00] [03:54:00]. While the Jetson ONE is currently a one-person recreational device, its market niche allows immediate offering due to less stringent regulations compared to multi-passenger “flying taxis” [03:41:00] [03:43:00].

  • Production: Low-series production will begin in Italy next year, with plans for large-scale, more scalable production in the United States to be closer to customers and exploit greater opportunities for partnerships [02:36:00] [02:41:00] [02:52:00].
  • Brand Ambition: Jetson aims to be the “Tesla of flying vehicles,” expanding into other innovative fields beyond flying vehicles, potentially including photovoltics and robotics, much like Tesla [03:41:00]. The goal is to create innovation sometimes “behind the scenes” and then reveal it to the world [03:41:00].
  • Media Presence: The company plans to leverage its strong YouTube presence, which generated 10 million views in seven days for its premiere film, leading to viral spread and significant unexpected orders [03:41:00] [03:50:00] [03:55:00]. This demonstrated global faith in the vision of personal electric flight and helped the company realize the serious potential of their project [03:52:00] [03:58:00]. The current focus is on production and safety, but plans exist to show more possibilities with the vehicle [03:46:00] [03:52:00].

Company Background and Team

The company was initially registered in Sweden, but quickly established branches in the United States and Italy, with its main branch now in the United States [02:58:00] [03:03:00]. Tomek is the majority shareholder [03:10:00]. The current CEO is new, and the team works closely on next steps [03:35:00] [03:38:00].

A significant challenge for the company, beyond technical issues, has been building a strong team [02:37:00] [02:44:00]. Tomek admires Elon Musk’s ability to build enterprises and startups from scratch that change the world, and sets ambitious goals that others might deem impossible, believing that dedication leads to success [02:42:00] [02:46:00] [02:51:00]. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining a childlike sense of fascination and motivation throughout the process [04:48:00] [04:54:00] [04:56:00].

Poland is seen as a good trajectory for such projects due to ambitious people and a “do it yourself” approach, with Polish employees demonstrating self-sufficiency [03:40:00] [03:44:00] [03:52:00] [03:58:00]. Being a “European brand” from Italy also provides prestige, particularly in the United States, positioning Jetson as an exclusive product [03:47:00] [03:55:00] [03:58:00].

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