Electric Flying Vehicle Lands, Takes Off on Water

After years under development, flying vehicles of various types are coming with new and innovative features.

One creative feature a single-passenger eVTOL (electric takeoff and landing) vehicle startup created is the ability for its craft to land and take off on water.

In a new video, the Ryse Aero Tech electric aerial vehicle Recon can be seen flying, landing on a lake, powering down, starting up and taking off from the lake.

During filming, the Recon was flown by Ryse founder and CEO Mick Kowitz, who also is a licensed pilot.

“The vehicle actually checks for when a water landing is about to happen and makes sure the floats are inflated properly before it lets you land,” Kowitz told me.

Kowitz said he was not concerned about landing on a lake since every Recon is floated in a pool for 30 minutes before it is ever flown.

The Recon has six propulsion modules and is flown by joystick controls and has six independent outrigger floats and two fuselage floats for water landings.

It also has six waterproof removable batteries for about 20 minutes of flight time.

The Ryse electric aerial vehicle (EAV) is in the category of ultralight vehicle, which are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate under FAA Part 103, which states that training or previous experience prior to operating the vehicle is not required.

Related:Electric Air Taxi Flown by Pilots; Flyshare Network Planned

The FAA regulates that ultralights like the Recon are limited to recreation and sport purposes and the operator, not the manufacturer or seller, is responsible for meeting the requirements for operating under the rule.

The FAA expects that ultralight activity “is a sport generally conducted away from concentrations of population and aircraft operations.”

An ultralight must be a single occupancy vehicle and weigh under 255 pounds empty.

They also cannot be used for aerial advertising or carrying parcels for hire and cannot be capable of going faster than 63 mph.

The Ryse Recon is one of numerous such vehicles in development with many versions being delivered in early 2024.

Unlike the Recon, many of them are not capable of landing on or taking off from water.

Like what you've read? For more stories like this on flying cars and emerging technologies, sign up for our free daily email newsletter to stay updated!