Dreaming Of Your Own "Human Drone"? FAA Throws Wrench In Part 103 Flight Plan Planning to buy a single-seat electric multicopter and zip around Class G airspace under Part 103 ultralight rules? The Federal Aviation Administration may have just grounded those hopes and dreams.
YouTuber Jimmy (Jimmys World) recently flew a Chinese YiVTOL S-Zero Plus "human drone" at a dealer demonstration in Tennessee. The video racked up millions of views, but eight days later, the YouTuber received a letter from the FAA telling him the eVTOL was illegal under Part 103.
Jimmy said the $100,000 eVTOL was marketed as a Part 103 ultralight, meaning a lightweight recreational vehicle subject to minimal requirements. The FAA's letter raises questions about whether applying 1980s-era rules written for gas-powered ultralights to battery-powered personal VTOLs is outdated and could inhibit eVTOL growth in the US while China fully embraces the new form of flying transportation.