First pardon my ignorance on the issue:

My curiousity has always been piqued by the small lifter devices, which have now been around for years. My question though is just how much electical current (in watts used) would be required to "lift" (or "float" if you desire to phrase it that way) a device capable of carrying 1000# of payload for example?

Just as aircraft development was always dependent first upon the development of a proper power plant (most outside of the aviation field think it is just the opposite, but in reality aircraft development always FOLLOWED engine development) I would think that lifter (floater) devices would also be dependent upon developing a suitable power source.

One can see where a B-1 or B-2 bomber with it's energy harnessable massive jet engines could obtain at least a reasonable amount of electrical power so as to power a "lift assist" unit onboard, but a "pure" lifting (floating) device that depended EXCLUSIVELY upon the lift/float function it would seem to me would have both a much higher energy requirement ... and not able to utilize traditional energy sources such as existing jet engine technology.

Remember, before the Wright Brothers could fly they not only had to build the structure of their plane ... they also had to build the lightest weight high power gasoline engine ever built up to that point in time (a remarkable engineering achievement in it's own right)

Any thoughts would be welcome.

AC2