Watch Video: Zapata Personal Airscooter VTOL Aircraft “to launch in 2024”
Imagine a scooter, now see it flying in the sky. That is the vision of inventor, Franky Zapata, who has created a personal Airscooter VTOL one-seater aircraft. First shown at the Paris Viva Technology event in June, the craft wowed the crowds and Zapata now says, “It will be commercially launched next year.”
The craft with its patented hybrid-electric propulsion system is compliant with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) PART 103 Regulations, and therefore does not require a flight certificate and so can be flown without a pilot’s license in the USA and China as an “ultralight aircraft”.
The company explains on its website, “Airscooter offers a longer flight time than any other VTOL in the market; patented computer assisted fly by wire controls ensure the highest degree of safety while requiring minimal training; and thanks to its hybrid powertrain and sustainable fuel, the Airscooter carbon footprint is comparable to a passenger car.”
The Airscooter comes in the form of a fully glazed cockpit resembling an egg and is piloted using two joysticks. It has a top speed of 100 km/h, a cruise speed of 80 km/h and a flight time of more than 2 hours. The maximum payload is 120 kg.
Described by the company as “the world’s most advanced personal flying machine”, it will compete with the growing number of one-seater personal aircraft now being developed including Lift’s HEXA, the Jetson One and RYSE Aero.
Please Watch Video
Zapata’s Community Manager, Beatriz Esteban Cara, talking to Euronews Next at the VivaTech event, said that the public will be able to have a go at flying the scooters in flight centres located around the US from next year. The first to open will be in Lake Havasu City, close to Phoenix, Arizona. She emphasised that the Airscooter is safe, for if anything does go wrong, onboard computers can automatically guide the scooter safely back to earth.
Zapata’s initial aim is to sell the aircraft to companies that want to open their own flight centres to offer customers recreational flight experiences. Therefore, it is unlikely you’ll be seeing these scooters flying overhead in European cities any time soon. The cost to buy such an aircraft is unclear.
44 year-old Zapata is an intriguing man. He is the inventor of the Flyboard and Flyboard Air and founder of Zapata Racing in 1998 which he later sold to a U.S defence contractor. Since 2012, his efforts have been focused on the development and manufacture of personal flyers for land and aquatic applications.
Franky Zapata
In August 2019, Zapata crossed the English Channel in just 20 minutes using a Flyboard Air, with a refuelling stop at midpoint. His 22-mile journey was completed with an escort from several French helicopters and warships.
Films of him on hoverboards and flying via a jetpack have gone viral across social media.
For more information
(Top image — AirScooter at Viva Tech, Credit:Luke Hurst/Euronews Next)