David Mayman, the founder of JetPack Aviation, says he fell in love with flight because of his family's employment as pilots.
He wanted to fly planes. 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 is 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465
Mayman is afraid of heights, which is a problem with this unusual career. In an interview focused on JetPack Aviation's new flying motorcycle, called the Speeder, Mayman told us how he overcame that fear, why global military clients are purchasing Speeders for emergency response, and what he thinks aviation's future will look like.
The following interview has been edited.
Let's talk about the flying motorcycle. Who is it intended for?
The Speeder is a utility vehicle. When people think of motorcycles, they think of recreation, so it pivots away from the idea of a flying motorcycle. Emergency response and disaster relief is the primary use case.
Imagine you had a storm. You can't get trucks on the road because the roads are damaged. You can fly one helicopter, but you can't fly ten of these. Even if it's raining and you can't see the horizon, they can fly. It doesn't matter in our aircraft. Our craft will still be rock solid even with a 40-50 mph wind.
During Phase 2 or Phase 3, I think recreational use will happen.
It can go up to 15,000 feet. That is above the basic skydiving level.
It will be doing that if it is flying at 20,000 feet or more. It is usually designed to be flying 1000 feet above ground level. You can fly 20,000 feet in the Himalayas, but only 100 feet above the ground. It might be possible to autonomously operate it and send medical supplies at that altitude. A pilot needs O2.
How fast is the Speeder?
Mayman is very fast. A plane will cruise at 120 mph. We are doing nearly four times that. You wouldn't do that. You could lay the pilot down if you wanted to. That is phase 3.
It can take three different types of fuel.
It will take any heavy fuel. Kerosene. Jet A fuel is what it is. There is diesel. Prometheus fuels has a deal with us. They are using CO2 in the air to make fuel. They can make diesel and gasoline. We will be flying net carbon zero when they come online.
How much will it cost?
We haven't announced it yet. One day, it will be brought down to a very luxurious car.
How many pre-orders do you have?
We got about 50 pre-orders in a couple of hours and shut it down. We are not seeking letters of intent until we can demonstrate the aircraft. Let me see it fly is the first thing anyone should say. Bring me to your field.
Futurism asks if you have working prototypes.
Mayman: We have two. We started with P1 a year and a half ago. We are working on P2, a third full scale prototype. The one that will look more like the air utility vehicle we intend to take to market.
It will have a seat and flight controls. It will not be piloted at first. The FAA has a very strict process. I need to take that seriously as a commercial pilot. It will either be fully autonomously making its own decisions or by a pilot. That could be using virtual reality goggles.
When will delivery or production happen?
Mayman thinks we're going to look at certification at the end of next year. It can take six months to a year for certification to go into production.
Is personal aviation better than individual vehicles, and is there a future where it is common?
The urban air mobility movement will happen, but not soon.
There will be several vehicles. We will have the same kind of SUVs in the sky at some point. We will have big people carriers. They will do well in the city. A downtown route is sensitive because these things are not quiet. Any aircraft that makes noise.
How do we fly over people when we are transiting? What is the public perception? Are you ready to jump into a vehicle with no pilot and launch off a 50-foot building tomorrow?
Could these vehicles ever be electric?
The bigger the system, the easier it is to make it electric. The bigger it is, the harder it is to accelerate.
We have to wait for the energy density to get to 1,500 watt-hours per kilo to be able to use electric propulsion for small aircraft. There has been no quantum leap in battery energy density. We are sitting at about 250 watt-hours per kilo. If you pack individual cells into a pack, it will drop from 250 to 200. If you run that through a speed controller, it will go down to 150. We are ten times away from where we need to be.
Can you talk about the JetPack deal in South-East Asia? What benefits will jetpacks give a military client?
David Mayman helps people in need of urgent care. Their focus is that. It would take a long time to dispatch a car or helicopter because of traffic or terrain. The goal is to get medics to an injured person quicker. There is a lot of research on that stage and what impact you can have on someone's health outcome.
Do you need a military background to fly jetpacks? Is it possible for civilians to easily train and learn?
We have trained ten times more civilians than military. People with aviation experience do better than people with no aviation experience.
Is Jeff Bezos buying a jetpack?
Mayman: We have been approached by well-resourced individuals. The price of a squadron wouldn't be an issue there.
What are we leaving on the table?
Mayman has a morbid fear of heights. My wife says to do the scariest thing you can. I skydive because of that. I'm almost up to 1,000 and it still holds my attention. It's so peaceful.
Do you think the future is created by people who overcome fear? Is it important to face fear in changing the world?
Entrepreneurs and inventors face fear because they are doing something new. Humans seek certainty. We need to fight this to create the things we want.
An Experimental Flying Car just crashed during a test.
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