Tesla’s “Flying” Roadster Explained 1. Is it really flying? No. It’s controlled short hops, flips, and thruster-assisted landings - not sustained flight. The ~10 cold-gas thrusters (compressed-air technology already used on SpaceX Falcon rockets for attitude control) create the jumping and mid-air rotation effect. Combined with a 0-60 mph in 0.81 seconds, it looks dramatic, but it’s a stunt car, not a practical flyer. 2. Upside-down driving? Yes — in the demo. A multi-mode suction fan system (up to ~2G) lets the car stick to a specially built curved ramp and drive inverted. It was shown on a purpose-built surface at the SpaceX facility, not on normal roads. Useful mainly for extreme track grip and spectacle. Most drivers will never need or use it. 3. When available? Production is targeted for 2028. Musk called it “flying cars are real,” while noting it’s “not necessarily a safety-optimized car” and may not be legal in every jurisdiction. I bet Europe will need 100 years to regulate, while the rest of the world will be enjoying the full Rocket trim (invite-only and still not approved for public roads). TSLA jumped ~5% in premarket on the spectacle. entropy.io/trade/xyz:TSLA?r=… Say what you will about timelines and bureaucracy — Tesla is still the only major automaker doing this kind of cross-domain hardware. Looks really impressive.