Chopper Shopper? This Electric Flying Go-Kart Could Be Yours

Aviation just took a seriously interesting turn. Forget those stuffy private jets and their fancy-pants pilots – you can actually now buy your very own electric flying machine. Yep, it looks like a go-kart had a wild night out with a drone, and here we are with the result.

Say hello to the Pivotal Helix – a personal electric flying machine, or eVTOL in fancy-speak. It's got eight rotors for lift-off like some kind of oversized drone, but there's a seat and a joystick for you to pretend you're still in control. This wild contraption has been buzzing around since 2016 as a concept, but they've finally kicked things into production. And the Air Force is even giving it a whirl.

Now, before you rush off to sell your car and raid the piggy bank, this flying go-kart will set you back a cool $190,000. Sure, that's a used Ferrari or a downpayment on a very nice house, but hey, the sky's the limit, right?

Apparently, this thing can haul itself (and you) off the ground, hit 50 mph (80 kph), and stay in the air for about 40 minutes on a single charge of its 24.7-kWh battery pack. So, forget getting stuck in rush hour traffic. You can finally live out those childhood dreams of zipping to work and back with a bird's eye view, assuming you manage to avoid low-flying pigeons.

Of course, you're probably wondering if you need a pilot's license for this thing. Turns out, the answer is... nope! That's right, no more slogging through flight school or enduring endless droning lectures from some ex-military pilot about stall speeds and ailerons. The Helix wants to make flying as easy as, well, driving a go-kart. Just don't try doing loops or strafing runs during your morning commute…

Pivotal, the brains behind this aerial oddity, are already dreaming bigger. They've got a bigger two-seater version in the works (for those romantic sunset flights?) and even an autonomous cargo model that can lug around 450 lbs (204 kg) of stuff. So, forget Amazon delivery drones – imagine a giant flying box dropping off your next online shopping binge at the doorstep.

In all honesty, the Helix is probably still a toy for the super-rich with a hankering for thrills. But, who knows? Maybe one day, these things will be as common as Teslas. We could see rush hour in the clouds, traffic cops buzzing around in their own personal flyers, and the occasional fender bender at 1000 feet. The future looks both hilarious and terrifying. But if this really is the future - I want one!