The world’s first VTOL personal aircraft
A new taste of freedom for the masses
It’s hard not to get excited when people start talking about flying cars — after all, who doesn’t want a flying Jetsons car? When 2016 Hello Tomorrow Challenge grand prize winner, Lilium Jet, got on stage to present the world’s first vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) personal aircraft, the audience was captivated. Before us was an image of a futuristic egg-shaped personal jet, majestically soaring above the glistening ocean.
Incubated under the auspices of the European Space Agency’s business incubation center in Bavaria, the young team of German engineers and doctoral students from the Technical University of Munich has a lofty ambition: to disrupt the future of everyday commute.
With Lilium Jet, people can move to rural areas while working in big cities, because long distances can be covered in a fraction of the traditional time.
Instead of queueing at an airport to go from Munich to Milan, you stroll into your garden, hop onto your Lilium, and take off; we’re talking about a garden of at least 15 x 15 meter. With electric engines, the Lilium is both quieter and more environmentally-friendly than helicopters. Classified as a light sport aircraft for two occupants, the Lilium can fly up to 300 km per hour, and requires only 20–30 hours of training as opposed to the costly, time-intensive training required to fly helicopters. Same as getting a driver’s license.
The small aircraft is also designed with computer control for automatic take-off and landing, reducing human error and thus, opening the market up to everyday consumers for personal commuting. A small-scale 25-kg prototype has already been tested and validated. The company is now assembling its first full-scale prototype.
If successfully tested, this simple machine can help halt the rise of rent in city centers as commuters move to rural areas because of easier commuting between long distances. And if Lilium becomes the future of everyday commute, it will give wings, and a new taste of freedom, to the masses.
