I'm less skeptical about secret propulsion technology than I am other things. Tesla was doing some really interesting work, and others (with far less credibility) have claimed to have continued this work. I can certainly see why it would be kept secret, if indeed it is for real.

I was talking about this with my friend. he suggested that it's possible to propel something upwards by firing lasers at the underside to cause the air to expand. I kind of like the idea of that, I mean essentially it's turning the air into the fuel, which means it isn't necessary to take any fuel. That isn't what Hutchison was doing, that's a second theory I've heard which might explain how heavy things can get into space cheaply.

And yes, velocity would be much lower at ground level. At what altitude would plasma production cease? Could it look from the ground like a shooting star, or lightning, or something else perceived as innocent?