Meet Hexa, a ‘human drone’ anyone can learn to fly in minutes
Published on May 20, 2023 at 6:19 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Jun 02, 2023 at 3:26 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
This is Hexa, a drone-shaped eVTOL made by Lift Aircraft in Austin, Texas.
The acronym eVTOL stands for electric Vertical Take-Off Landing, meaning the aircraft can take off and land virtually anywhere, without needing a helipad or a runway.
Supercar Blondie’s Sergi Galiano had a go and he absolutely loved it.
You can find out more about Hexa here.
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Now, Sergi is many things but he’s no pilot.
Even so, he got the hang of it pretty quickly and this is because Hexa is super easy to use.
As Lift Chief Pilot Jace McCown points out, all you need in order to fly it is the joystick located on the right-hand side of the cockpit.
There’s a take-off button, a landing button, and then another button marked H, which stands for ‘Helipad’ – sort of like a take-me-home button.
Right below those buttons is a little dial that you can use to climb and descend, and behind the joystick is another dial to rotate the aircraft when you’re airborne.
For safety reasons, Hexa can be programmed to self-balance and self-adjust with something called geofencing.
In simple terms, it means you can turn it on and familiarize with the aircraft without the risk of going too far or too high.
Obviously, for extra safety, the Hexa is also fitted with an emergency parachute.
Lift went the extra mile to make this as lightweight as possible by using carbon fiber and 3D-printed titanium components for the aircraft.
The propellers, for example, weigh less than a kitchen knife.
At 432 lbs (195 kg), the Hexa is actually lighter than a Ducati motorcycle.
Hexa is so light even Sergi can lift it by hand without throwing his back out.
The aircraft is powered by eighteen lightweight batteries, it takes about five minutes to put them on.
The vehicle doesn’t have wheels, instead it has buoyant legs because, among other things, Hexa can also land on water.
Climb aboard and you’ll find an iPad Pro right in front of you with all the information you need.
And it gets better because, for the production version, Lift is planning to add Augmented Reality (AR) to the iPad to help you fly and navigate.
Hexa by Lift will be available from late 2023 but you might want to hurry up if want one because there’s a waiting list of 15,000 people.
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
