MOULTRIE — Farmers and other agriculture lovers saw an “ultralight” aircraft from RYSE Aero Technologies during last week’s Sunbelt Ag Expo.

The RYSE Recon is an electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle that is powered by six individual rechargeable batteries.

The aircraft can travel up to a 25-mile range and reach speeds up to 63 miles per hour, according to representatives of the company at the Sunbelt Ag Expo. It can be used on land and water while its rugged structure can help the driver access difficult areas

“We really wanted to build an ultralight aircraft that was electric and easy to fly for everyone,” Mick Kowitz, the CEO of RYSE Aero Tech, said in an interview Wednesday morning.

He continued, “We didn’t originally know that when we’re building an ultralight for every one [that] we’re building for farmers, but at the end of the day, we thought, ‘We’re doing this for farmers.’”

The company decided the agricultural market was the right industry to initially pitch the idea.

“[They were] the first people to use GPS and autonomous tractors, so who else to test out and help us build and create something innovative and interesting, that has great purpose in their market and farming,” Kowitz said. “From the perspective of the ag community, this has a lot of applicability. You can do everything a drone can do, but it can get you there. If you need to repair fencing, if you need to work on your irrigation systems [or] if you’re trying to just do scouting, this is the right vehicle for it.”

Crop scouting is one of the major uses for the Recon aircraft along with getting a “bird’s eye view” of your crops.

“When the crops start coming up, this vehicle is a great mechanism to get from point A to point B without burdening your crops and to be able to see trouble areas quicker, more accurately,” Kowitz explained.

With the aircraft, the farmer can fly at different angles instead of having to drive or walk to find an entryway into their fields. This could be an advantage to farmers with cotton crop fields.

The Recon aircraft requires no pilot’s license to operate it, according to a company press release.

Expo exhibitors were receptive during the RYSE booth flight demos.

“People seem pretty receptive to it. People see the applicability of getting above and being able to see down below the canopy of the crop with a vehicle is really useful. Over a drone that can’t really blow back. We’ve got so much thrust, and you can see what’s going on down inside when you’re over the crops. Because of the size of the fields, it’s a perfect tool to get across them quickly and easily,” he said.

The driver can also remain afloat if one of the six independent motors dies.

“It’s a very safe and reliable vehicle because if one of the six independent motor systems goes out, the others keep it afloat. So it’s very safe, and it’s very easy to control,” Kowitz concluded.

The three-day Sunbelt Ag Expo ended Thursday.

To learn more about RYSE Aero Technologies and the RYSE RECON, please visit www.ryseaerotech.com.