This video is a tribute to our third prototype, also called HDP03. This is the one I've been flying (from inside) for over a year. Alvaro and I feel that we have developed everything possible to do in a home garage, using only hobby parts and inexpensive components. That was the challenge, so we believe the mission has been accomplished. I can easily say that we had so much fun and learned a lot from this aircraft. It was intensive R&D with lots of hands-on activities and trial-and-error approaches, but in the end, we succeeded. This aircraft flew a lot, beautifully and safely. I'm very proud, not just of the vehicle itself, but for everything we've planned and developed, such as the flight panels, telemetry interfaces, joystick control, and much more. All these features, plus body protections like the plexiglass and the wire mesh around the cockpit, have pushed the aircraft to its weight limit. So, there's no more room for additional creations inside this beautiful toy. Therefore, I think it's time to retire this unforgettable flying machine. But I wouldn't do this without making a video with the best shots of the HDP03 flights!

Our last challenge for the Human Drone Project was to replace the radio control with a joystick. After two months of trying, we finally got the great, real-time, lag-free control! Goodbye "fly-by-wireless"!

This is a one-minute summary of the Human Drone Project since it started in August 2019. I knew it would be cool, but not that I would have this much fun!

Yes, a lot of work on this project!! But.. If the goal was to build a recreational eVTOL, why not just have fun today? The “Human Drone Project” was created in August 2019 as a personal challenge to build at home a “drone-like” vehicle capable of flying while carrying a person on board. Three prototypes have been developed and flew with the equivalent weight of a human. In June 2021, the first hovering flight with a real person on board was performed. www.thehumandroneproject.com www.cognitivebird.com

We're getting there! Finally, we are converging on a configuration of flight control parameters, which we consider the safest given the characteristics of our aircraft. Today we flew in the open field and used almost all the battery power to test these configurations with the dummy on board (for safety). Even so, it was possible to make a small human flight at the end just to record this video! www.thehumandroneproject.com

We have realized the need to increase the responsiveness of the flight controls. For this, we are reconfiguring the system to operate with smaller propellers. R&D is an ongoing process that requires prototyping for proof-of-concept with each change. Let's go forward on this incredible journey.

October 2021 - This is the second version of the Human Drone Project flight display. We built a "tailor-made" artificial horizon and added the motors' RPMs. I really don't know how much innovation there is here, as I'm not fully aware of what other developers are doing, but we came up with interesting ideas, which you can see in this demo. Don't miss the end of this video, where the vehicle is filmed by 3 cameras simultaneously during the flight and the interface is shown in real-time!

September 2021 - In order to have real-time flight information, we created an onboard web server that extracts data from the flight controller and sends it to an iPad attached to the vehicle frame. In this way, we can view the most important radio inputs, as well as information from accelerometers, gyroscopes, compass, and GPS. Apart from the FC, the system also monitors the voltage of the batteries and the temperature in the power circuit.

June 2021 - This is the first manned flight! It's a very short test, just to make sure everything is under control. The test was completely successful and passed without any unforeseen events. Everything worked perfectly and I had the feeling of being protected by the safety cell. The vibration is not as strong as I imagined, and It feels like kayaking, but above the grass in my backyard.. It feels a bit like a dream.