Equipment helicopter producer RotorX has stepped into the non-public eVTOL fray with its personal tackle the manned multicopter. The Dragon guarantees to zip you round at as much as 63 mph (101 km/h), with joystick management, auto-landing, and a ballistic parachute.
That is very a lot within the bare-bones mildew of the Jetson One and Ryse Recon; an enormous drone with the lightest doable seat/cabin within the center. RotorX has gone with an eight-prop coaxial octacopter structure for some redundancy, operating 16-kW electrical motors for every prop. The corporate claims a max flight time round 20 minutes, which is just about within the ballpark, and it will carry pilots that weigh 250 lb (113 kg) or much less.
Security-wise, RotorX is together with a ballistic parachute in case you’ve got obtained the cojones to fly excessive sufficient to make that form of factor related – though I think most individuals can be extra working nearer to the bottom relatively than a few hundred feet up. A lot of the dream of flying this stuff appears to be about zooming by means of the treetops relatively than method above them.
The Dragon runs easy joystick-style management, by means of redundant flight computer systems, and presents a “sensor-drive auto-landing system” in addition to hands-free hover in place. The corporate says it qualifies as an ultralight, which means you will not want a pilot’s license to fly it.

RotorX
Just like the Jetson One, which shares this machine’s high velocity and endurance figures, the RotorX Dragon is a package plane; it’s going to be shipped to you in bits with a device package to construct it, and written and video directions. Or, there will be the choice to go go to Advanced Tactics in California – a defense-focused VTOL developer led by RotorX president Don Shaw, engaged on a variety of superior air mobility designs together with the fascinating RX eTransporter eVTOL. Dragon patrons will be capable of assemble their plane at an Superior Ways facility beneath some supervision – and in addition get some coaching on easy methods to fly it.
Value-wise, they will promote for US$99,000 as soon as deliveries start in August 2023. RotorX is knocking that right down to US$85,000 for anybody who’s prepared to slap down a US$19,500 deposit now for a pre-order.
You possibly can see the prototype flying within the video under.
Dragon Private Air Automobile – No pilot’s license required
Supply: RotorX