Project Ascent
For centuries, humans have dreamed of flying like birds. To take off from where we stand, to soar through the air with freedom and grace, to experience flight as nature intended.
What if we could actually fly? Not travel—fly. Like a bird does.
The original vision of personal flight
Beyond transportation—pure, bird-like freedom
What We Dream Of
- Taking off from anywhere—your backyard, a field, a hilltop
- Flying when the moment strikes, not on a schedule
- Moving through the air with your body, not sitting in a seat
- Accessible flight that doesn't cost hundreds of thousands
- Experiencing what birds have always known
Aviation evolved to connect cities and continents—an incredible achievement. But there's another form of flight we've yet to realize: personal, immediate, bird-like flight. The kind where you step outside and simply take off.
Flight like nature intended
The way birds do it—simple, elegant, free
Take Off Anywhere
From your backyard, a field, a rooftop. No runways, no helipads. Just a few meters of space and you're airborne.
Land Anywhere
See a beautiful spot? Land there. No designated landing zones, no flight plans. True freedom of movement.
Stay Low, Stay Free
Fly at bird height—a few meters up. No air traffic control, no restricted airspace. The sky as it should be.
2-3 Hours of Pure Flight
Not cross-country travel. Just enough time to truly fly, explore, and experience the freedom birds have always known.
Maneuver Like a Bird
Dive, climb, bank, hover. Do the cool stuff. Flight should be elegant and responsive, not just point-to-point transportation.
Pure Freedom
No schedules, no destinations, no purpose except the joy of flight itself. This is what we were meant to dream about.
Making the dream technically possible
The hard problems between us and bird-like flight
Energy vs. Weight
Birds are incredibly efficient. Humans are heavy. We need power systems that can lift a person for 2-3 hours without weighing them down. Battery technology is almost there, but we need to optimize every gram while maintaining safety margins.
Intuitive Control
Birds don't think about flying—they just do it. We need control systems that feel natural, responsive, and safe without requiring pilot training. The interface should be as intuitive as walking or swimming.
Safe Low-Altitude Flight
Flying at bird height means obstacles, wind patterns, and emergency scenarios that don't exist at 30,000 feet. We need systems that can handle trees, buildings, power lines, and sudden weather changes.
Graceful Flight Dynamics
Current flying machines are loud, clunky, and mechanical. True flight should be elegant— quiet propulsion, smooth movements, and the ability to do the beautiful things birds do naturally.
Engineering the dream of flight
Starting with simulation, building toward reality
ascent_physics_simulator
Before we build anything that puts humans in the air, we simulate everything. Our physics engine models bird-like flight dynamics, energy consumption, control responses, and emergency scenarios. Every design decision is tested virtually first—because the dream of flight is only worth pursuing if it's absolutely safe.
Bio-Inspired Propulsion
Studying how birds actually fly—not just flapping wings, but the subtle control surfaces, wing morphing, and energy efficiency that makes them so elegant in the air.
Lightweight Power Systems
Developing battery and motor combinations that maximize flight time while keeping total weight low enough for genuine personal flight, not just brief hops.
Natural Flight Controls
Creating control systems that respond to body movement and intention rather than complex joysticks and buttons. Flight should feel natural, not mechanical.
Why this dream matters
This isn't about transportation or efficiency or solving traffic problems. This is about reclaiming the original human dream of flight—the one we had before we settled for airlines.
It's about standing in a field, spreading your arms, and actually taking off. It's about seeing the world from above, not through a tiny airplane window, but with the wind in your face and complete freedom of movement.
It's about remembering what we really wanted when we looked up at birds and dreamed of flying.
That dream is worth building toward.
Because some dreams are too important to abandon.