Palmer Luckey, the entrepreneur best known for founding Oculus and later cofounding the defense-technology company Anduril, has expanded his already remarkable collection of unconventional vehicles with a particularly striking addition: one that is capable of flight. Over the past weekend, Luckey personally piloted the Jetson One, a compact single-seat electric vehicle designed for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL). Announced to the public in 2021, the Jetson One captured substantial media attention at its unveiling, igniting speculation about the transformative potential of personal flying craft. Nearly four years later, the company has finally reached an important milestone by completing its very first global delivery — and the recipient was none other than Luckey himself, underscoring his consistent role as an early adopter of pioneering technologies.
A video released of this inaugural flight documents the ceremonial moment when Luckey removed protective coverings from the control panel, thereby symbolically christening the new vehicle. Dressed appropriately in safety gear, including a helmet, he was carefully assisted by Jetson’s leadership team — founder and chief technology officer Tomasz Patan, as well as chief executive officer Stéphan D’haene — who guided him step by step through the process. Once seated, Luckey initiated the start-up sequence by pressing a button that triggered the signature whirring of its propellers. Moments later, the aircraft lifted steadily off the ground, carrying him into the air above an open grassy area in Carlsbad, California. After maneuvering with ease in the air, Luckey returned to the earth for a smooth landing. As part of the ceremonial experience, he was awarded a distinctive Jetson “wings” pin — a symbolic token celebrating his achievement as the first private pilot to take delivery of the craft.
Although the Jetson One is available for purchase, the high demand and limited production schedule mean that potential customers will need to exercise patience. The aircraft comes with a price tag of $128,000, which includes an $8,000 initial deposit. Remarkably, no pilot’s license is required to operate it, thanks to the unique regulatory classification under which it was designed. Even so, Jetson’s upcoming models have been entirely spoken for until at least 2026, with new buyers facing the prospect of waiting until 2027 for delivery. Luckey’s own order had originally been intended for fulfillment in 2023, but, according to Patan in an official company statement, logistical delays extended that timeline. Prior to his maiden flight, Luckey underwent approximately 50 minutes of training to ensure he could competently manage the controls.
For Jetson as a company, the delivery symbolizes more than a single sale; it represents what the founders describe as the beginning of a global rollout and a bold step into the era of accessible personal aviation. In an earlier interview with Business Insider in 2022, Patan contextualized the vehicle’s design around U.S. aviation regulations, highlighting that at the time, the majority — roughly 85% — of Jetson’s customer base resided in America. He emphasized that the team’s long-term ambition was nothing less than reimagining urban transportation, shifting traffic congestion from the ground to the air, with the ultimate goal of reshaping metropolitan life into something more efficient and livable.
That ambition has resonated with investors: in 2023, Jetson successfully raised $15 million in seed funding, largely from individual angel investors. The company thus joined a crowded and increasingly dynamic field of eVTOL developers, a domain that has seen significant growth over the last decade with prominent competitors such as Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation. Within this innovative sector, some firms have enjoyed the backing of high-profile patrons — notably Larry Page, the Google cofounder, who previously supported Kitty Hawk and Pivotal. However, not all ventures have endured: Kitty Hawk ceased operations in 2022, while Pivotal postponed its own shipment plans in 2023 without much public attention.
For Luckey personally, the acquisition of the Jetson One reflects an ongoing pattern of curiosity and willingness to test the boundaries of what technology can achieve. This adventurous streak traces back to his youth, when he immersed himself in ambitious, and occasionally hazardous, engineering experiments, such as constructing coil guns, Tesla coils, and improvised energy devices. He later admitted with wry humor in a 2013 Los Angeles Times interview that he frequently suffered electrical shocks during those experiments, marveling that he survived them at all. That fearless, exploratory mindset eventually evolved into founding Oculus, which catalyzed the global resurgence of virtual reality, and later establishing Anduril, which has become a significant firm within the defense industry, producing advanced systems such as military drones.
Today, Luckey’s interests continue to range beyond conventional aircraft. In early 2024, during a conversation with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang, he revealed that his collection includes a retired U.S. Navy vessel, half a dozen helicopters, and even a classic 1985 Marine Corps Humvee. The addition of the Jetson One, therefore, fits seamlessly into his diverse array of vehicles and reinforces his reputation as a trailblazer who enjoys both tinkering with and adopting unconventional technologies well before they reach the mainstream. His latest purchase demonstrates that, while he may spend some downtime casually streaming music and entertainment, his true passion is situated firmly in the realm of technological experimentation and pioneering invention.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/palmer-luckey-jetson-one-electric-personal-flying-vehicle-aircraft-2025-9
