World’s First Flying Motorcycle Delivered To Japanese Buyer

This past December, two decades into the 21st Century, at the Yamato Technology Center in Tokyo, A.L.I. Technologies delivered the world’s first flying “motorcycle” to a Japanese businessman. Yoshiyuki Aikawa, President of Japan’s S.B.C. Medical Group, dished out three-quarters of a million U.S. dollars for a shiny red and black Limited Edition XTURISMO hoverbike. The next challenge for the Tokyo base drone startup is how long before Aikawa and future customers are permitted to fly over congested roads and populated areas.

A.L.I. Chief Executive Daisuke Katano told Reuters the bike would not be allowed to fly over Japan’s congested roads soon. But rescue teams could use the bike to reach difficult-to-access locations.

Ownership benefits are game-changing if or when these sci-fi vehicles receive approval for inter-city flights. Aikawa and company will no longer feel the jolts of potholes, asphalt sprinkled with oil and dirt will no longer pose a risk, and no large mammal will abruptly bring a trip to a painful halt. Or at least until Jurassic Park evolves into a reality.

Remaining at a red light or stop sign will no longer consume hours of your life, or at least until cities materialize hovering traffic signs. Like drivers, incompetent hoverbike “pilots” will remain an annoyance. However, you’ll have the added option of swiftly bypassing the incapable from above or below.

“To boldly go where no one has gone before” has held the imagination of people who have dedicated time and resources to exploring new concepts for decades. The individuals at A.L.I., for their part, have built and sold a functioning hoverbike. And the future looks promising as other ideas are under development. Unfortunately, some have disappeared, gone the way of the Dodo.

The Dream

Humankind caught the first flicker of hope for a flying motorcycle in the summer of 2021 when JetPack Aviation announced their Speeder flying motorcycle prototype passed its first flight tests and would be commercially available by 2023. The successful test result propelled jetpack pilot Rocketman David Mayman, founder and C.E.O. of the California company, to announce plans to build two versions of the Speeder – Recreational and Professional. The goal was to start with twenty single-seat Recreational units and future production dedicated to the military, government, and industry.

Unfortunately, when images of the Speeder prototype were made public, the physical appearance disillusioned many future Jedi, who had patiently waited for multiple solar cycles. Who could blame them? A vivid imagination would have difficulty visualizing a flying motorbike from the prototype, an engine strapped onto aluminum tubes with four pegs for feet.

But the diehards who kept faith in the approaching reality of flying motorcycles had their hopes dashed when the Speeder disappeared from the JetPack Aviation website. What remains is a link bringing visiting aspiring stormtroopers to maymanaerospace.com, which features a closed “cockpit” flying hovercraft named Micro VTOL Multi-Mission Air Utility Vehicle

The Rebirth

Firms such as Uber, Boeing, JetsonAero, and Joby Aviation are determined to develop viable vertical take-off and landing vehicles. However, the leader is Tokyo-based drone startup A.L.I. Technologies, why? Because they delivered. They built and sold the world’s first flying motorcycle. True, they renamed the flying motorcycle calling it a Hoverbike. Still, any optimist can readily see that it’s a flying sky-motorbike with wheels replaced with propellers.

The Limited Edition XTURISMO debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on September 2022, with the first functioning unit delivered just before Christmas 2022. AERWINS Technologies Inc is the U.S. distributor in Middletown, Delaware. On their website, you can order your vehicle for just over half a million dollars.

The 661-pound (300 kg ) XTURISMO consists of a motorcycle-like body on top of propellers drawing its inspiration from Star Wars films. The sky-bike is approximately 8 feet wide and 5 feet high, measuring 12 feet from tip to tail.

Power is via a hybrid propulsion system of four electric motors and an internal combustion engine, which promises to fly for 40 minutes at speeds of up to 62 mph (100 kph). A far cry from a hyperspace speed, more like a “Ludicrous” crawl, but remember, most of the time, pilots will cruise straight from point A to D, avoiding dull and repetitive Twisties.

The combustion engine propels the six propellers, two primary and four secondary, with the primary propellers providing lift, while the smaller ones serve as stabilizers. When parked, the unit rests on landing skids.

When Can You Ride Your Sky-Motorcycle Downtown

Even though A.L.I. has succeeded where others have failed or have not yet finalized their machines, significant obstacles remain for a city-cursing sky-motorcycle to become a reality. Such time-frame is difficult to predict and will depend on various elements:

Technology

The technology required to create a safe city-flying hoverbike is in the early stages of development. Despite Mitsubishi Electric, Kyocera, and millionaire footballer Keisuke Honda backing A.L.I., flying your ride to work remains years away.

Cost

The costs of operating and maintaining a hoverbike will likely be very high, which may limit its widespread appeal.

Safety

Commuting on hoverbikes presents serious safety, security, and privacy concerns that manufacturers must first address. The risk of a bike or pilot falling from the sky, specialized training, and the potential for mid-air collisions with other aircraft or buildings. Restrictions will likely evolve alongside technological advances.

Regulations

Significant regulatory challenges associated with Hoverbike use must meet the appropriate area’s standards. Air traffic control, licensing, safety, and, most presumably, aviation administration approval. The process will be lengthy and involve extensive testing, evaluation, and cost.

Enviromental

The energy consumption and the hoverbike’s impact on air and noise pollution will be significant factors for environmental protection agency approval. The reported roar of the Xturismo’s engine and six rotor blades was so loud during one demonstration earplugs were provided before the flight to onlookers as a hearing protection measure.

Training

Then there is the question regarding training requirements for riders. Manufacturers, regulatory agencies, and relevant organizations would determine the training requirements. Including instruction on the basic principles of flight, lift, thrust, and drag. Riders must also be trained in the vehicle’s operation, including controlling the hoverbike and flying it safely.

In A Nutshell

Many logical reasons exist why hoverbikes should never be allowed to fly over populated areas. Aside from noise pollution, privacy, and security, collisions with buildings, people, and other aircraft will cause substantial damage, injury, or death. But history has taught those who pay attention that nothing is impossible. Whether government agencies would support urban flying motorcycles in the future will depend on developing a design that meets the required technical and safety requirements.

In a perfect world, the bikes would instantly vaporize following an air collision between two zero-emission hoverbikes or a pilot slamming their flying “Machina” into a concrete building. The pilot? They would gently parachute back to solid ground. In the meantime, while Jedi await the perfected urban flying craft, it’s essential to remember that delays are a normal part of life, and handling them with grace and humor is better.