Okay, so I've been sitting on this for some time. I've got a theory which may make Wipeout a feasible thing. It's a bit hard to explain, but here goes.
I've seen videos of RC helis lifting a woman. she weighed about 120 lbs or so, and the helis lifted her with ease.
I've also seen the ground effect for helis, where less power is needed to hover at a height equivalent to the length of one rotor blade, essentially.
So what I'm trying to do is make a frame you sit in, with actual air brakes, and pitch control for the electric rotors. Almost a ground effect craft, but it can hover at a standstill.
It's a crazy idea, but I want to do it because you never know until you try. I'm thinking about a kickstarter for it, as the rc parts that I need aren't something I can order with my empty wallet, unfortunately. But the first iteration of this would be a frame, somewhat bicycle-like, that I would sit on and attempt to lift off the ground as proof of concept. The goal my friend and I agreed on was to make something that looks close to the video game craft, and have it available for only as much as it costs to make one. Is this something that interests people? Questions welcome.