A Polish-Swedish company has become the first in Europe (and one of the first in the world) to create a commercially available passenger drone. The particularity of “octocopter” Jetson ONE is that it can be bought and flown by anyone.

The creators of this futuristic engine are the Pole Tomasz Patan and the Swede Peter Ternström. They describe their invention as “a commercially available personal electric aerial vehicle that you can own and fly”.

The vehicle, which is basically a one-person flying chair, is made of carbon fire and aluminium and is powered by eight electric motors. It can and can reach a top speed of 63 mph (102 km/h) with a maximum flight time of twenty minutes.

“The topic of flying cars and taxis is very fashionable at the moment. (…) I remember the story ‘The Jetsons’ [an American animation from the 1960s], which for many of us was a sign of what was to come in the future (…) We wanted to create the opportunity of experiencing the very pleasant feeling of flying freely in every direction. As a result, it’s a machine more similar to a water scooter or a quad which can be used in free time – to have fun” – Tomasz Patan told Red Bull Poland. 

For now, the flying chair is mostly designed for recreational purposes. The Jetson company already has twelve clients from North America and Europe lined up to buy a Jetson ONE in 2022. This number is expected to rise significantly by 2023. 

A Jetson ONE currently costs $92,000. It takes around an hour to charge it fully, and it can transport people weighing up to 209 lbs (95 kg). 

Cover photo: Jetson ONE

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen