The world’s first successful test race for flying motorcycle aces

Your father doesn’t have to be Daedalus for you to know the dangers of flying too close to the Sun. But the sad story of Icarus is worth keeping in mind as you read this story. Because as cool as it sounds, taking a flying motorcycle 15,000 feet in the sky sounds like the beginning of a modern myth. Especially when it can reach speeds of 300 miles per hour.

Jetpack Aviation’s ‘The Speeder’ (which we first heard about at DesignTAXI) is a science fiction dream come true. It’s like Star wars speeders crossed with a Jet Ski and a helicopter. Equipped with four turbojets, the 231-pound machine can run on kerosene or diesel. It is also fully stabilized and has a fly-by-wire. And now it’s ready to hit the market.

According to Luxury launches, the company’s jet device successfully completed a series of captive test flights more than five months earlier this year. The P1 prototype was able to take off, climb in the sky, hover in the air, twist and turn, and “make slow transitions to forward flight”.

Now that they know it works, the company has already started working on a more advanced prototype. It will replace the large aluminum chassis of the original model with a smaller frame made up of carbon fiber body panels. And Jetpack Aviation has already planned to equip the third prototype with a fully formed body as well as compact wings. As well as doubling the number of engines. Which, they say, will allow up to 600 pounds to travel 300 miles up to 15,000 feet for 20 minutes. All in a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle that can fit in the back of a truck.

Jetpack Aviation

The world’s first flying motorcycle will also be available in recreational and military / commercial models. Each with a large initial prize of $ 380,000. Which, strangely enough, is the best reason to feel good about this equally intriguing and terrifying machine. If Daedalus spent so much on Icarus’s wings, he wouldn’t have had to rely on wax.

The post The world’s first successful test ride of the flying motorcycle aces first appeared on Nerdist.