Georgia Tech Student's Jet Drone Hits 491 mph, Unofficially Topping 465 mph

Tomas Salvo, an aerospace engineering student at Georgia Tech, flew his jet-powered drone Reaper to 491 mph, unofficially surpassing the previous record of 465 mph for a jet-powered RC aircraft, according to tomshardware.com. The record run was not officially recorded by Guinness.

The Reaper was built in Salvo's dorm room for $13,000. It uses a custom-molded carbon fiber shell, a laser-cut internal structure and a 250N jet engine fitted with a titanium 3D-printed nozzle. The 491 mph pass was made while the aircraft carried a 1.2kg payload.

The mark of 465 mph had been held by Niels Herbrich. Salvo is aiming to win the $800,000 Boom Prize, sponsored by Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl.

Prize rules and the road to Mach 1

The Boom Prize requires an aircraft to pass Mach 1 for at least 5 seconds while climbing or in level flight, using an air-breathing design with no on-board oxidizers or rockets, land intact and fly twice in one day. It is open only to individuals or teams without corporate, venture capital or government backing.

Since the prize was announced, Salvo has turned to crowdfunding, asking for $50,000 in August 2025 after raising $20,000. Before the Boom Prize, sponsorships secured him a JetCat 250N engine.

Mach Initiative's Kingchaser, a 3D-printed jet-powered RC aircraft inspired by the prize, recorded a 273 mph test flight because of limited space to accelerate and estimates a top speed of 550 mph. Its 300N engine is larger than the Reaper's 250N unit. Mach Initiative is not eligible for the Boom Prize because its members are not US citizens.