The Real-Life Flying Motorcycle That You Can Actually Own Yourself

Flying cars, motorcycles, and other similar vehicles have come and gone, with the concept never really taking off (figuratively and literally). It's a tough concept to get into mass production. Airplanes and helicopters are expensive, require special licenses to fly and maintain, and giving everyone who wants one their own flying vehicle has a lot of associated safety concerns.

Punching through those barriers is a company called Volonaut and its Airbike jet-powered flying motorcycle. The Airbike doesn't look like a lot of flying car concepts in the past (which were essentially just complicated helicopters), it looks a lot like a sport bike, albeit one with jet engines and no wheels. Volonaut attests that the Airbike is "evolving human flight." Whether or not that will be the case in the future is anyone's guess, but it's certainly an interesting concept that's a lot unlike what has been seen before.

The Airbike itself is quite the wonder of engineering. It weighs a total of 66 pounds, much less than a wheeled motorcycle, and it's powered by two jet turbines that Volonaut says are redundant in case something goes wrong. It's supposedly powered by diesel, jet fuel, or kerosene, much like the turbine you would see in an M1 Abrams tank. Despite the fuel versatility, you won't be going that fast or that far, as the Airbike has a top speed of 63 miles per hour and a flight time of 10 minutes. Still, flying around like you're on a "Star Wars" speederbike is an attractive proposition.

Volonaut's Airbike also isn't cheap, not even a little bit. The reservation fee alone is $2,000. Claiming your production spot is another $80,000, and the bike itself will set you back $798,000. There are several full-size helicopters and airplanes available for that much cash. Still, it's certainly unique. Volonaut claims that since it's an ultralight aircraft, you do not need a license to fly it in the United States, so that's nice. Dropping nearly a million dollars on what is essentially two jet turbines strapped to a Ducati might not be the best use of money, but it might be one of the coolest.