28 October 2025
+ VIDEO Ever thought, “What I really need is a Chinook helicopter I can take on holiday”? Well, someone has — and they’ve actually built it.
Meet the Janus 1, a folding VTOL aircraft from X-Control Systems that promises genuine rotorcraft capability in something about the size of an oversized suitcase.
When folded, the Janus 1 weighs just 70kg, light enough for two people to lift into the boot of a large car.
Unfold it, and you’ve got a fully fledged twin-rotor helicopter powered by a tiny turboshaft engine, capable of 100mph, 19,000ft, and it will lift up to 200kg.
The Janus can operate from a 3m x 3m patch — or even off water — and runs on Jet A, kerosene or diesel.
X-Control says the Janus 1 qualifies as an ultralight in most regions, meaning no pilot’s licence or airworthiness certification is required (probably not the UK).
A fly-by-wire control system does the heavy lifting, and the company claims new pilots can be up and flying in as little as 30 minutes. (Whether you should is, of course, another matter.)
Endurance ranges from a quick 40-minute blast on the internal tank to a claimed eight hours with external fuel. There’s no heater, so those high-altitude sightseeing trips might be a touch bracing.
On paper, it’s an astonishing machine — part drone, part helicopter, part science fiction. And while it might not replace your PPL just yet, the idea of folding up your aircraft and wheeling it home at the end of the day is a very tempting one.
