Jetpack Aviation announced last autumn that it is developing a jet-powered flying engine called the Speeder, which will soon be available to anyone willing to pay the expected high price for the vehicle. Although this commitment sounded more than optimistic at first, the company seems to be doing quite well with the development of the Speeder.
Jetpack Aviation’s subsidiary Mayman Aerospace, named after the company’s founder, unveiled the P2 Speeder prototype at an event held by the Draper Venture Network a few days ago, and it promises to take to the skies later this year. The location of the announcement is no coincidence, as the project’s main backer is Tim Draper, who has previously helped companies such as SpaceX, Tesla, Cruise, Twitch, Coinbase and Skype to take off. Draper has described Speeder as “an industry-changing technology”, and if anyone knows what he’s talking about, it’s Draper.

The Speeder is powered by jet engines developed by Jetpack Aviation, which have been used successfully in their rocket backpacks for years. There are a total of eight of these engines on the engine, which can be swivelled on the fly so that they can be used for both climb and engine propulsion. The developers say that the transport version of the Speeder will be capable of reaching speeds of up to 800 km/h thanks to the jet propulsion, and can carry up to 450 kilograms of cargo at a time over a distance of almost 650 kilometres.
A piloted, remote-controlled and fully autonomous version of the Speeder is planned, which Mayman Aerospace intends to use initially for rescue, military and police applications. According to the demonstration, the engine will also be capable of extinguishing forest fires or quickly transporting injured people, among other things.
Of course, the developers have put a lot of effort into making the vehicle as safe as possible, so the Speederne has redundant systems, and the engine’s on-board computer is said to be able to balance the torque between the remaining engines in case one engine fails. Although, unlike many of the VTOLs under development, the Speeder is not electrically powered, it is powered by so-called sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which is much more expensive than kerosene but produces far less carbon dioxide when burned (although it is worth noting that some NGOs claim that the carbon dioxide emissions saved by SAF are actually just a numbers game).
As New Atlas notes, this is the third prototype of the Speeder in a row, and if all goes well, the first that will actually take to the air. Mayman Aerospace plans for the first remote-controlled flight to take place as early as the second half of this year, and human tests shouldn’t be much further away. According to earlier reports, the price of the Speeder could start at $695,000, but when it will be available for order is still a question – the pre-order page on Jetpack Aviation’s website has disappeared and Mayman Aerospace’s website does not yet list such an option.
Source: newatlas.com
Recent article
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
The flying ambulance arrives at lightning speed
Drones News & Articles
Wing and Walmart Join Forces: Ushering a New Era of Drone Deliveries
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
The electric car revolution could continue in the air
Flying Cars News & Articles
What Economic Challenges and Opportunities Might Arise from a World Where Flying Cars Are Commonplace ?
News & Articles Points of interest
NASA’s new passenger craft will make ocean crossings shorter than the time it takes to watch a movie
Electric airplane News & Articles
Pyka’s Game-changing Pelican: Setting New Aerial Agricultural Standards
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Unmanned aerial taxis flew in a unique formation
Electric airplane News & Articles
NASA’s Innovations: Soaring into an Electrified Flight Future
Drones News & Articles
Redefining Drone Warfare: From Expendable Units to Affordable Mass
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Could eVTOLs and Air Taxis Replace Public Transport ?
Flying Cars News & Articles
The Dawn of Flying Cars: A Glimpse into the Future of Urban Mobility
Drones News & Articles
Harnessing Nature’s Flight: The Bird-Inspired Drone
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Navigating the Skies of Tomorrow: Electric Air Taxis Eye the Paris Olympics
Flying Cars News & Articles
Soaring Above: Alef Automotive’s Revolutionary Flying Car Earns FAA Approval
Points of interest
Navigating the Skies: Korea’s PIBOT Set to Outdo Human Pilots
Drones
The Vanguard of Autonomous Flight: XQ-58A Valkyrie
News & Articles Points of interest
China’s JF-22 Hypersonic Wind Tunnel: The Future of Hypersonic Innovation
Drones News & Articles
A New Flight Formation: German Pilots and Drone Swarms
Drones
A New Dawn for Drone Technology: The Hypersonic Revolution
Additional aircraft News & Articles
The Morphobot: An Innovation in Multimodal Robotics
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Blazing Trails in Hypersonic Aviation: Europe’s Destinus Soars to New Heights
News & Articles Points of interest
The Dawn of AI Air Travel: Airbus and its Vision for Autonomy
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Technological advances in air taxis and flying vehicles are needed to transform public transport
Air taxi News & Articles
Volocopter’s High-Flying Ambitions for the Olympics
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
The Horizon of Aviation: Airbus’ Vision for 2035 and Beyond
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
A Shift in Aviation Licensing and Training
Drones News & Articles
Russia’s Path to Drone Supremacy
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Spectacular Flight of Man-Made Saucers: Unveiling New Horizons of Sky-High Commute
Air taxi News & Articles
Israel’s Pioneering Venture into Drone Transport
Air taxi News & Articles
More efficient air taxis in the future
Air taxi News & Articles
The Coming Electric Air Taxi Revolution: Competing with Train Tickets ?
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Unveiling the Whisper of Innovation: CycloTech’s Exploration into CycloRotor Noise Levels
Points of interest
Sailing the Skies in Style: Airbus’s Novel Vision for Air Travel
Drones News & Articles
Boosting Agriculture: A Drone Revolution Awaits in Budapest
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Embracing the Future with Rolls-Royce’s Revolutionary UltraFan Engine
Air taxi News & Articles
Testing of perhaps the most promising air taxi begins
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Navigating the Future: Autonomous Helicopters Soar High
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Embracing the Future: Seoul’s Leap into Urban Air Mobility
Flying Cars
Toyota takes to the skies: we form an alliance
Drones News & Articles
Toyota Takes to the Skies: Investing in Revolutionary Drone Technology
More articles you may be interested in...
Drones
The Vanguard of Autonomous Flight: XQ-58A Valkyrie
News & Articles Points of interest
China’s JF-22 Hypersonic Wind Tunnel: The Future of Hypersonic Innovation
Drones News & Articles
A New Flight Formation: German Pilots and Drone Swarms
Drones
A New Dawn for Drone Technology: The Hypersonic Revolution
Air taxi News & Articles
The Coming Electric Air Taxi Revolution: Competing with Train Tickets ?
The Dutch company, Electron Aviation, is making a bold promise that is set to disrupt.......... READ MORE
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Unveiling the Whisper of Innovation: CycloTech’s Exploration into CycloRotor Noise Levels
In the fast-paced realm of aeronautical engineering, the introduction of CycloRotors has heralded a paradigm.......... READ MORE
Points of interest
Sailing the Skies in Style: Airbus’s Novel Vision for Air Travel
Navigating the dawn of a fresh chapter in aviation, Airbus recently shared its audacious plans.......... READ MORE
Drones News & Articles
Boosting Agriculture: A Drone Revolution Awaits in Budapest
The stage is set in Hungary, as it stands on the brink of an exciting.......... READ MORE
News & Articles Propulsion-Fuel
Embracing the Future with Rolls-Royce’s Revolutionary UltraFan Engine
Just when you thought the apex of innovation had been reached, Rolls-Royce challenges the notion.......... READ MORE
Air taxi News & Articles
Testing of perhaps the most promising air taxi begins
For some of us, the very idea of an air taxi evokes scenes straight out.......... READ MORE
Additional aircraft News & Articles
Navigating the Future: Autonomous Helicopters Soar High
Unmanned helicopters are no longer a concept in some futuristic Sci-Fi novel. They're here, revolutionizing.......... READ MORE
EVTOL & VTOL News & Articles
Embracing the Future: Seoul’s Leap into Urban Air Mobility
In an audacious move to revolutionize its transport system, Seoul - the bustling South Korean.......... READ MORE