I think the closest we'll get to a personal flying vehicle would be something similar to a powered hang glider / ultralight. The way I envision it would be ret

I think the closest we'll get to a personal flying vehicle would be something similar to a powered hang glider / ultralight. The way I envision it would be retractable wings using carbon fiber for the skeletal structure, and an electric motor somewhat like in a Dyson vacuum cleaner for power (along with a fuel cell so it can run off hydrocarbons, as that has a better power to weight ratio then batteries). If the mass of the entire device is less than the mass of the person it is carrying then I would think damage (to third parties / structures) would be limited.