Skip to main content

The Trek Aerospace FK2 Is the Flying Go-Kart You Didn’t Know You Wanted

Go-karts are cool and all, but, we’re living in an age of gravity jetpacks, flying motorcycles, and ultra-light hovercrafts. Honestly, if it doesn’t have wings or a rocket engine attached it, we’re not that interested. Technically, the FK2 Flying Go-Kart has neither, but our toy garage still desperately needs one.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

At first glance, Trek Aerospace’s FK2 (short for FlyKart 2) looks like an oversized drone with a single seat at its center. The pilot is surrounded by ten ducted fans designed to lift and land the vehicle vertically from a dead stop. The multi-fan setup is purposely redundant to ensure maximum safety should any one (or more) fail. A sophisticated auto-pilot system, redundant battery matrix, and a four-point racing-style harness round out the onboard safety features. Once aloft, the FK2 will cruise around 50 miles per hour, with a top speed of 63 mph, for more than 30 minutes.

As the next revolutionary version of Trek Aerospace’s previous generation FK1, the FK2 emerged as the star of this year’s GoFly Challenge. The annual Boeing-sponsored event calls on the world’s best aerospace engineers and innovators to unveil their most ambitious VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) flying machines. From a pool of more than 800 entrants, the FK2 was among five teams each awarded $50,000 in prize money for their developments. Designs from the remaining four teams ranged from a flying bicycle to a self-stabilizing, standing hovercraft to a compact helicopter-like rotorcraft. The handful of finalists will go on to compete for a $1 million grand prize.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The contest is designed to push the limits of personal transportation. This year, in particular, marked a huge step forward. GoFly’s founder and CEO, Gwen Lighter, told Geekwire, “Now we can unequivocally say we will be able to make people fly within the next one to two years.”

The FK2 Flying Go-Kart is only a concept for now. It remains to be seen whether Boeing or Trek Aerospace will move forward with production. We humans have a hard enough time navigating our ground-based transportation in two dimensions, so it’s perhaps best that we hold off on adding a third.

However, if you can’t wait to realize your boyhood dreams of piloting your own flying car, just know that the technology is almost within reach for the average consumer — almost.

Editors' Recommendations

Mike Richard
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
Buyer beware: The least reliable cars you can buy in 2024
Know the car reliability ratings of these bad buys
Front end angle of 2021 Ford F-150 parked on a dirt trail in front of a red barn and trees.

According to statistics, car sales grew by about 75.3 million globally in 2023, up from the estimated 67.3 million units sold in 2022. Evidently, buying a car is a big purchase, like buying a home, that many people want to achieve during their lifetime. 

Unfortunately, much like houses, cars have become increasingly more expensive in recent years. This is why people want to ensure they are buying a reliable car that isn't going to break down on them a few months to years down the line. The bottom line is drivers want reliability now more than ever. 

Read more
How many teams are there in Formula 1 in 2024?
!0 teams and 20 drivers compete for the World Championship,
Aston Martin Formula 1 race car driving directly toward the camera.

F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix winner's stage Nate Swanner / DTMG

In the current FIA Formula 1 season, ten teams each field two drivers to vie for the highest Grand Prix World Championship points among all competitors. The 2024 F1 schedule has 24 Grand Prix racing events, including six that include a shorter F1 Sprint race.
Why F1 teams matter in the sport

Read more
What engines do Formula 1 cars use?
F1 engines will be carbon neutral starting in 2026
Lewis Hamilton (44) driving for Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team during The Australian Formula One Grand Prix Race on April 02, 2023, at The Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit in Albert Park, Australia.

F1 race cars routinely exceed 200 miles per hour during Grand Prix races, which begs the question, "What engines do Formula 1 cars use?" If you expect to hear that F1 race cars use exotic V16 or V12 engines, you may be surprised to learn that they don't even run with V8s. All F1 race cars have a power unit comprising a 1.6-liter V6 hybrid internal combustion engine (ICE) with two on-board electrical energy recovery units. Like almost everything in Formula 1, the engines teams can use in their race cars are strictly defined by the FIA F1 Rules and Regulations.
Why Formula 1 car engines matter

Formula 1 is considered the pinnacle of elite motorsports, which puts the organization in a powerful position to influence other competitive automotive groups. Also, in 2019, F1 committed to being carbon-net-zero by 2030. F1 race cars currently have hybrid gas and electric power units, but starting in 2026, all F1 cars will run on biofuel, a renewable energy source with significantly lower carbon emissions than petroleum-based fuels.
What engines do Formula 1 cars use today?

Read more