Personal Electric Flying Machines Take to the Air—No Pilot’s License Required
Film’s most beloved naval aviator, “Maverick” Peter Mitchell played by the legendary Tom Cruise once said, “I feel the need, the need for speed.” Maverick’s unapologetic love of flying, and flying fast, in the 1986 film Top Gun is the same feeling motivating many first-time pilots. However, flying your own aircraft historically meant getting a private pilot’s license and spending months at flight school and an airfield—a commitment many VIPs do not have time for in their busy lives.
Fortunately, electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) are making it easier than ever to experience the freedom of the open skies. Personal eVTOLs, like Pivotal Aerospace’s Helix and Jetson’s Jetson One, do not require a pilot’s license, given their ultra-light classification. The best part is that these aircraft are light, easy to fly and, according to testimonials and numerous YouTube videos, addictingly fun.
The Helix and Jetson One both hit about 63 mph and fly hundreds of feet in the air. Yet, these aircraft are not really the flying cars promised in science fiction. These nimble, electric flying machines are more akin to a flying WaveRunner or jet ski than a flying car from Star Wars or Blade Runner. They are built for the pure thrill of flying.
In December 2024, Jetson’s sleek, one-seater ultra-light eVTOL showcased its agility in a series of flight demonstrations. The Jetson One bolted around pylon obstacles, simulating what an eVTOL race could very well look like in the future. According to the company, the obstacles were configured to test pilot skill and machine precision. Video showed the aircraft following one another around the course, their blades churning out a sound resembling a cadre of attack helicopters.
The Jetson One is perfectly equipped for this type of recreational flying. Its aluminum frame and the black-and-white color scheme shown on the company’s website can best be described as sleek and aggressive. The large blades attach to the body of the aircraft—what Jetson calls a race car-inspired spaceframe. This aircraft, with its open cockpit, comes with auto-landing and hands-free landing systems. And, while the range is limited to twenty minutes, the aircraft is capable of taking on spare batteries instead of waiting for a full charge.
If the Jetson One has the spirit of a race car, then Pivotal’s Helix is its eccentric counterpart. It is an aircraft that can easily be mistaken for a UFO or one of the bulky drones that made headlines flying over the skies of New Jersey back in 2024. The closed canopy and quiet motors offer an intimate flying experience for the pilot; a digital control panel and joystick with fly-by-wire controls make it easy to fly, Pivotal said.
The Helix is designed to fit into a sixteen-foot road trailer where it can be brought to a field or flat surface and flown. Assembly from a trailer, notes Pivotal, will take around thirty minutes. It takes about seventy-five minutes to charge using a high voltage charger used in many EVs. Moreover, according to Pivotal, owners will be able to bring their aircraft back to the company at a future date where they can purchase battery upgrades.
The company provides training that covers everything from ground school, simulator training sessions and supervised flight training to a gradual assumption of full responsibility. The first solo flight will last about ninety seconds, the second one three minutes, and the third further increases training based on the individual’s operational skill as a pilot. According to Pivotal, the company advocates recurrent training to ensure pilots are proficient and knowledgeable of the aircraft. They are even working on a desktop simulator of the aircraft.
“It’s an invitation to experience flight on your own terms,” a Pivotal spokesperson told Jetset.
Training, Safety
Critically, Pivotal and Jetson will provide the training and technological support to ensure the aircraft is safe and operational. Both the Helix and Jetson One possess flight controls that can be learned with proper training, according to both companies. Best yet, they are built around technology assisting with the flying. Glancing inside these aircraft, the flight controls look more like the mix of a flight simulator and the screen you would find inside a luxury EV compared to the crowded cockpit of an airplane or helicopter.
These aircraft are also built with a range of safety features. This includes ballistic parachutes and design redundancy, meaning that if one motor fails, the other electric motors are capable of safely bringing the aircraft to a safe landing. Inside the Helix, notes Pivotal, a diagnostic monitor will check the health of the aircraft in real time. Moreover, the Jetson comes equipped with hands-free hover and emergency functions.
However, any new technology inevitably has shortcomings. These eVTOLs have a limited range. In the Helix’s case, a seventy-five-minute charge will get you forty-five minutes of flight time. The Jetson One boasts a flight time of twenty minutes. Moreover, they are also designed to fly in uncongested airspace in pristine weather. Unless you live on a ranch or own vast acres somewhere remote, these aircraft will have to be transported on a trailer. Pilots will also have to rely on clear skies and low wind speeds of no more than twenty miles per hour.
But, even with their limitations, these eVTOLs represent a new pathway into recreational aviation. Becoming a pilot has always meant undergoing the long process of licensing and flight school—endless hours spent at a small airport flying a small plane or helicopter. Ultra-light eVTOL aircraft simply require some training and a beautiful day to fly.
Pivotal and Jetson’s aircraft are available to be ordered now. The Helix’s base price starts at $190,000 while the Jetson is priced at $92,000. Both companies have reported strong interest in their aircraft with the delivery time of the Pivotal potentially extending in 2026, according to Pivotal’s website. Jetson’s delivery time of their eVTOL extends into 2027, according to its website.
And, for those who do not aspire to fly their own eVTOL, air taxi services will soon be shuttling passengers. One such company, Joby Aviation, recently announced air taxi services in the New York and Los Angeles areas. But, for now, eVTOLs are for the aviation enthusiasts and aspiring pilots who wish to channel their inner Maverick—because who needs a new Porsche when there’s a flying machine waiting in the garage?
“It gives you a profound experience of joy,” Jetson co-founder Peter Ternström told CNET in an interview. “It’s fun, so much fun.”