Georgia Tech Student Claims 491 MPH Drone Record
Tomas Salvo says his dorm-built jet drone Reaper reached 491 mph, a claim not yet confirmed by any sanctioning body.
Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Robotics
Georgia Tech aerospace senior Tomas Salvo posted on X on October 30 that his jet drone Reaper reached 491 mph, carrying a 2.6-pound payload. The claim has no sanctioning body, timing gates, or independent observers, and Yahoo Tech describes it as unconfirmed.
Why it matters
If verified, the claimed speed would exceed the previous RC jet record of 465 mph set by Niels Herbrich's Inferno in 2017. The episode also highlights how far small, low-cost aircraft are being pushed beyond the speed limits set by FAA and AMA rules.
The Reaper weighs about 11 pounds and uses a hand-laid carbon-fiber body with a 250-newton turbojet, reaching about 6,500 feet within 20 seconds of takeoff. Salvo says the aircraft sustains top speed for about four minutes, but the claimed 491 mph has not been independently timed.
The players
Tomas Salvo
Georgia Tech aerospace engineering senior who built the Reaper jet drone and posted the 491 mph claim.
Blake Scholl
Founder of Boom Supersonic who offered an $800,000 prize for flying an RC aircraft past the speed of sound.
Elon Musk
Tesla and SpaceX chief executive who replied to Salvo's post with 'nice.'
The details
Salvo says he has built three Reapers, all of which reached 491 mph, and the first was assembled by hand in his apartment on a roughly $13,000 budget. He phoned farmers around Atlanta until one allowed him to fly from a field, and Elon Musk replied to the post with 'nice.'
Timeline
October 30: Salvo posts the 491 mph claim on X.
2017: Niels Herbrich's Inferno reaches 465 mph.
April: Bruce Tebo's engineless glider reaches 567 mph.
July: DroneXL reports no waivers claimed for these flights.
November or December: Reaper-M1 first flight targeted.
Under the Hood
The claimed 491 mph run would sit far above the FAA's 100 mph small-drone ground speed cap and the AMA's 200 mph turbine program cap. It continues a trend in which hobbyist builders push homemade aircraft toward speeds once reserved for purpose-built research programs.
For hobbyists, the speed claim underscores that small jet drones remain subject to FAA and AMA limits that require keeping the aircraft in sight and, for the FAA, a 100 mph ground speed cap unless waived. Anyone building or flying similar aircraft should check current rules before attempting high-speed runs.
The takeaway
A self-reported record is not a verified record until timing gates and independent observers confirm it. Readers following rapid drone development should watch for sanctioned measurements before accepting headline speeds.
What happens next
A Reaper-M1 first flight is targeted for November or December, which may bring a supersonic attempt and further scrutiny of the speed claims.
Further reading
For more on the hardware behind such builds, see Robotics coverage on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by MotorBiscuit.
