Lift Aircraft

Lift Aircraft, headquartered in Texas, is a pioneering startup that focuses on the development and manufacturing of autonomous eVTOLs. Its primary goal is to provide short recreational flights, making flying accessible to everyone. The company claims to be the developer of the world's first personal eVTOL aircraft to enter production (in 2019) and launcher of the world’s first experiential entertainment business based on an entirely new type of personal, eVTOL aircraft.

The company has obtained approval for its flagship vehicle, HEXA, to operate in accordance with the FAA's Part 103 rules. Notably, individuals can fly HEXA for personal, non-commercial purposes without a pilot's license, enabling individuals to experience flying without the usual regulatory and training requirements. As of May 2022, the company had no intention of offering HEXAs for sale to the general public, and it was only offering electric multi-rotor flying as an experience. LIFT had plans to expand its presence across the US, with the initial rollout scheduled for 2023. To facilitate this expansion, as of May 2023, the company was accepting advance flight reservations in 25 cities. LIFT intended to prioritize the opening of locations based on the reservation totals, starting with the cities that demonstrate the highest demand. The cost of each flight is estimated to be around USD 249 for an 8–15 minute duration, a pricing point that is comparable to other thrilling activities such as helicopter tours, skydiving, hang gliding, and scuba diving. As a limited-time promotion, individuals who have made advance reservations would enjoy a 40% discount on their first flight.

HEXA is a one-seater eVTOL capable of landing on both land and water. The aircraft has distributed electric propulsion with eighteen independent electric motors and propellers and can fly and land safely with up to six motors disabled. The aircraft weighs 432 lbs and is easy to ride with a triply redundant autopilot computer with a single, three-axis joystick. The aircraft could also allow first responders (medical, disaster response, military, search and rescue, etc.) of federal, state, and local government agencies in the US to operate HEXA today under existing regulations and reduce first response times by 50% or more, according to the company. Jeff Bezos and Anderson Cooper are among those that have already flown the aircraft.

Key customers and partnerships

Lift partnered with SparkCognition Government Systems and SkyGrid in March 2022 to deliver blockchain UTM (unmanned traffic management) for autonomous vehicles. In October 2022 , Lift Aircraft signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with helicopter tour operator Charm Aviation to establish a joint venture that will have an exclusive license from LIFT to operate in the greater NYC area and jointly develop LIFT vertiport locations in the greater NYC area over the following five years. In March 2023 , the company partnered with Marubeni Corporation to develop and advance the eVTOL market in Japan, with participation from GMO Internet Group. The company also has secured several contracts with the US Air Force.

Funding and financials

According to the company, it had already raised over USD 18 million in funding as of May 2023, including the oversubscribed USD 5 million RegCF on StartEngine in 2022.