Video feeds from LIFT Aircraft show columnist Chris Tomlinson piloting their HEXA mini-helicopter, with 18 electric engines.

Houston Chronicle

AUSTIN – Remember, if you can, the thrill of driving a go-kart. Then imagine flying one in three dimensions, swooping up and down, back and forth and side to side in an aerial dance.

That’s how I felt piloting an 18-engine, single-seat aircraft near Lady Bird Lake last month. After the autopilot lifted the HEXA-U off the landing pad, I took control of the joystick. I did my best to imitate the graceful aerobatics I’ve seen helicopter pilots perform in countless videos.

photo hc031326TomlinsonDrone_143226735 from article titled "This Austin company offers the chance to pilot a single-seat electric aircraft"photo hc031326TomlinsonDrone_143226743 from article titled "This Austin company offers the chance to pilot a single-seat electric aircraft"photo hc031326TomlinsonDrone_143228177 from article titled "This Austin company offers the chance to pilot a single-seat electric aircraft"photo hc031326TomlinsonDrone_143228185 from article titled "This Austin company offers the chance to pilot a single-seat electric aircraft"photo hc031326TomlinsonDrone_143227387 from article titled "This Austin company offers the chance to pilot a single-seat electric aircraft"photo hc031326TomlinsonDrone_143227375 from article titled "This Austin company offers the chance to pilot a single-seat electric aircraft"photo hc031326TomlinsonDrone_143226745 from article titled "This Austin company offers the chance to pilot a single-seat electric aircraft"LIFT Aircraft Chief Pilot Jace “Digit” McCown flies the HEXA-U electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle in Austin on March 17, 2026. The 18-engine aircraft is classified as an ultralight, which means people without a pilot’s license may fly it under certain conditions. The HEXA-U flies like a helicopter but has redundant flight control software that is designed to prevent crashes. LIFT offers the public a chance to fly the HEXA-U after one hour of training.

LIFT Aircraft Chief Pilot Jace “Digit” McCown flies the HEXA-U electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle in Austin on March 17, 2026. The 18-engine aircraft is classified as an ultralight, which means people without a pilot’s license may fly it under certain conditions. The HEXA-U flies like a helicopter but has redundant flight control software that is designed to prevent crashes. LIFT offers the public a chance to fly the HEXA-U after one hour of training.

Chris Tomlinson/Houston ChronicleLIFT Aircraft Chief Pilot Jace “Digit” McCown flies the HEXA-U electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle in Austin on March 17, 2026. The 18-engine aircraft is classified as an ultralight, which means people without a pilot’s license may fly it under certain conditions. The HEXA-U flies like a helicopter but has redundant flight control software that is designed to prevent crashes. LIFT offers the public a chance to fly the HEXA-U after one hour of training.

LIFT Aircraft Chief Pilot Jace “Digit” McCown flies the HEXA-U electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle in Austin on March 17, 2026. The 18-engine aircraft is classified as an ultralight, which means people without a pilot’s license may fly it under certain conditions. The HEXA-U flies like a helicopter but has redundant flight control software that is designed to prevent crashes. LIFT offers the public a chance to fly the HEXA-U after one hour of training.

Chris Tomlinson/Houston ChronicleTraining simulators used to prepare people to fly the HEXA-U, an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle, in Austin on March 17, 2026. The 18-engine aircraft is classified as an ultralight, which means people without a pilot’s license may fly it under certain conditions. The HEXA-U flies like a helicopter but has redundant flight control software that is designed to prevent crashes. LIFT offers the public a chance to fly the HEXA-U after one hour of training.

Training simulators used to prepare people to fly the HEXA-U, an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle, in Austin on March 17, 2026. The 18-engine aircraft is classified as an ultralight, which means people without a pilot’s license may fly it under certain conditions. The HEXA-U flies like a helicopter but has redundant flight control software that is designed to prevent crashes. LIFT offers the public a chance to fly the HEXA-U after one hour of training.

Chris Tomlinson/Houston ChronicleAn image from the training video for the HEXA-U, an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle, in Austin on March 17, 2026. The 18-engine aircraft is classified as an ultralight, which means people without a pilot’s license may fly it under certain conditions. The HEXA-U flies like a helicopter but has redundant flight control software that is designed to prevent crashes. LIFT offers the public a chance to fly the HEXA-U after one hour of training.

An image from the training video for the HEXA-U, an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle, in Austin on March 17, 2026. The 18-engine aircraft is classified as an ultralight, which means people without a pilot’s license may fly it under certain conditions. The HEXA-U flies like a helicopter but has redundant flight control software that is designed to prevent crashes. LIFT offers the public a chance to fly the HEXA-U after one hour of training.

Chris Tomlinson/Houston Chronicle

I didn’t have to worry about crashing or flying too far off course. The flight control software compensated for the fact that I had a grand total of one hour of training. I was as safe as a toddler playing in a ball pit, with a helicopter-licensed chaperone coaching me and monitoring the aircraft’s telemetry.

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The HEXA-U flight experience is offered by LIFT Aircraft, an Austin-based company committed to “democratizing flight.” The HEXA-U meets the Federal Aviation Administration definition for an ultralight aircraft, which means people without a pilot’s license may fly it in uncontrolled, uncongested areas under certain speed and altitude limits.

Ultralight vehicles are only a segment of the massive electric vertical take-off and landing market. Companies are developing vehicles that range from flying motorcycles all the way to 18-passenger shuttles.

Austin-based LIFT Aircraft is offering a $199 test flight for beginners at the Palmer Event Center, including an hourlong training.

Austin-based LIFT Aircraft is offering a $199 test flight for beginners at the Palmer Event Center, including an hourlong training.

Efren Salinas / Austin American-Statesman

The FAA recently permitted the Texas Department of Transportation to oversee eVTOL research and experimental flights between San Antonio, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston. LIFT Aircraft is having conversations with TXDoT but can already operate freely under existing regulations.

LIFT has reached an agreement with Austin’s Long Center to offer flights to the public for the next few months. Wannabe pilots can sign up for initial training and a five-minute flight through the company’s website for $199.

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A quick hop

Matt Chasen, LIFT’s founder and CEO, said building an ultralight electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle allowed the company to get off the ground quicker.

“Unlike most companies that are doing this air taxi model, where you can fly, but you’re a passenger in the aircraft, our approach is that you get to pilot the aircraft,” Chasen told me. “It’s more fun, it’s actually more efficient, and it can be safer in certain ways.”

Training to fly the HEXA-U involved a 30-minute class with an instructor and then 30 minutes in a simulator. All the controls are on a single joystick, with automated routines for take-off and landing, the most dangerous portions of any flight.

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The joystick that amateur pilots use to control the HEXA-U, an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle, in Austin on March 17, 2026. The 18-engine aircraft is classified as an ultralight, which means people without a pilot’s license may fly it under certain conditions. 

The joystick that amateur pilots use to control the HEXA-U, an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle, in Austin on March 17, 2026. The 18-engine aircraft is classified as an ultralight, which means people without a pilot’s license may fly it under certain conditions. 

Chris Tomlinson/Houston Chronicle

One thumb click tells the aircraft to take off and hover at a minimum altitude. From there, I could use my thumb to ascend to the maximum altitude, in this case, 30 feet. I used the stick to fly backward and forward, and left to right and used my finger to spin it around.

The wind through the open cockpit buffeted the HEXA-U as I tried to maneuver, but the flight control system automatically adjusted the engines to keep itself level. If something had gone wrong, the triply redundant flight software would have landed itself whether I liked it or not.

The computer is what some call a co-bot, a robot that works with you to improve your performance.

Future of flight

Chasen’s business plan is not limited to hobbyists. LIFT has two versions of the HEXA that have larger, heavier batteries and can fly farther carrying more weight, but those models require a pilot’s license. The company has tested variants for the U.S. Air Force and is seeking FAA certification for commercial uses.

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“This is a recreation thing; however, we will start to open multiple locations,” he said. “Then we’ll open up a transportation utility to it.”

At least for now, Chasen and Chief Pilot Jace “Digit” McCown say the most exciting thing about HEXA is how it makes flying accessible to almost anyone. The flight control software has different settings for different skill levels. I flew at beginner level, which limited my speed to 10 mph.

LIFT Aircraft Chief Pilot Jace “Digit” McCown flies the HEXA-U electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle in Austin on March 17, 2026. LIFT offers the public a chance to fly the HEXA-U after one hour of training.

LIFT Aircraft Chief Pilot Jace “Digit” McCown flies the HEXA-U electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle in Austin on March 17, 2026. LIFT offers the public a chance to fly the HEXA-U after one hour of training.

Chris Tomlinson/Houston Chronicle

McCown, a former U.S. Air Force helicopter pilot, said the goal is for the flight computer to do the hard stuff, to keep the aircraft safe, while giving amateurs the thrill of flying.

“The adaptability of this is incredible,” he told me. “We can really tame this down to be in a very small, very compact, dense space like this and still be next to a public park …  when this is unlocked, she can really stretch out and go pretty fast and get pretty far.”

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Experienced pilots can use advanced settings that allow them to concentrate on other aspects of the flight, climbing up to 500 feet with speeds up to 45 mph.

LIFT has plans to build a facility on Lake Travis and take advantage of improved batteries to offer longer flights in the near future. Chasen and McCown said the technology is improving rapidly.

Aviation is undergoing the most exciting revolution since the jet engine. And while the world is too crowded for everyone to own a personal quadcopter, the eVTOL will soon become a routine part of our lives.

Award-winning opinion writer Chris Tomlinson writes commentary about money, politics and life in Texas. Sign up for his “Tomlinson’s Take” newsletter at houstonchronicle.com/tomlinsonnewsletter or expressnews.com/tomlinsonnewsletter.