Will We Walk In the Shade?

Approvals for drone deliveries and personal flying vehicles are escalating at an amazing pace.

Earlier this month, the FAA approved Amazon Prime Air to operate its delivery drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). Amazon is now ramping up its drone delivery infrastructure starting in College Station, TX where it has been testing drone delivery for quite some time.

Not to be outdone, Walmart will soon add drone delivery as an option for customers ordering through its app. It is reported that eligible customers in the Dallas area will be able to order drone delivery by the end of the month. Walmart says it has already completed more than 30,000 drone deliveries.

Not only will Amazon Prime Air and Walmart drones be flying over our cities, electronic vertical takeoff and landing (EVTOL) personal flying vehicles will soon be joining them.

I remember watching The Jetsons as a kid. I found it fascinating that in the future people could hop in their personal flying vehicle and fly to work. I recall scenes of the sky filled with those personal flying machines.

Here we are, more than 60 years after the Jetsons first aired in 1962, witnessing that reality taking shape.

There is even a company called Jetson (jetson.com) that is already giving customers the ability to purchase its Jetson ONE personal aircraft. For a mere $128,000 ($8,000 due upon ordering with the balance due upon delivery) you can order a Jetson ONE for 2026 delivery (their 2024 and 2025 production has already been sold out). 

What do you get for $128,000? You get a personal aircraft capable of flying along at 102 km/hr (68 mph) for a whopping 20 minutes. 

Another competitor is AIR ONE (airev.aero). With an expected cost of $150,000, you get a two seat personal aircraft. 

Do you have a big wallet? Then you might opt for the HEXA Lift. There are two remaining slots to purchase a HEXA Lift in select cities as a founder for a mere $495,000. That’s right — for almost half a million dollars, you can be one of the first owners of a HEXA Lift. However, Lift Aircraft does make a compelling argument for those with big wallets to buy one:

1. Purchase a HEXA. Buy a Founder’s Series HEXA for $495,000, select your desired location, and add your aircraft to the company’s rental fleet. Up to 80% of the purchase price may be tax deductible in the first year.

2. Enjoy unlimited, hassle free flying at no cost. You and up to four of your family or friends will enjoy unlimited flying. LIFT will manage everything and cover all operating expenses including storage, maintenance, battery charging and replacements, ground crews, flight control and insurance.

3. Earn income OR get your entire purchase price back. You choose how you want to benefit from Lift’s rental program. Over a five-year term, either receive a 10% share of pay-per-flight revenue, potentially earning a significant return on your investment - OR - Lift will buy your HEXA back for a guaranteed price of $495,000 at the end of the term. That’s right, you can own and fly a HEXA for five years for a NET COST OF $0. You can visit www.liftaircraft.com/ownership if you are interested in learning more.

There are many other personal flying machines being developed and tested. They seem to be coming to market quite rapidly. 

I don’t believe these aircraft will replace traditional fixed-wing aircraft and the enjoyment and benefits private pilots get from flying them. However, you can be sure that many people will be investing in these next-generation aircraft to be able to enjoy the thrill of flying — even though those thrills will happen in shorter amounts of time.

It’s evident that significantly more delivery drones will soon be flying over us. Unless you live in an extremely remote area, you probably see at least one Amazon Prime delivery truck per day. I’m guessing each truck has packages for at least 100 customers. Soon 100 drones could replace that one truck. If you add the Walmart drones to the equation along with drone deliveries by other companies that may be developing their drone infrastructure, and the skies above us could get quite busy. And then you add personal flying vehicles to the airspace above our cities.

I remember a scene from the movie 300 where a Persian commander from Xerxes’ army tells one of the Spartan soldiers, “Our arrows will blot out the sun.” “Then we will fight in the shade,” the Spartan replied.

Could there eventually be so much traffic above us that we will be walking in the shade?

I don’t think it will be that extreme, but changes are coming to the skies above us!

Thanks for reading,

Joe