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Flying motorcycles are the stuff of science fiction. That doesn’t mean they’ve stayed that way. In recent years, flying motorcycles are one part sci-fi, one part reality, and all parts absurdity. The Volonaut Airbike is only the latest example.
Created by Polish inventor Tomasz Patan, the Airbike is a VTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing) vehicle powered by a jet propulsion engine. Per Volonaut, the prototype benefits from a proprietary stabilization system, which unlocks an automatic hover feature and streamlines the controls.
It all sounds highly technical, but don’t expect Volonaut to lift the veil on its technology. Instead of listing specifications, the startup glosses over the specifics. It reports a 124-mph top speed without delving into the mini-turbine engine that achieves that velocity. It claims the prototype is “seven times lighter than a typical motorcycle” without stating the actual weight. (What does "typical motorcycle" even mean?)
While the omitted details give this author cause for pause, Volonaut wasn't reluctant to show the Airbike in action. The company recently put the vehicle’s flying abilities on full display in a series of YouTube videos and Instagram posts.
It isn’t Patan’s first concept to take flight, either. The Polish entrepreneur also founded Jetson, a startup specializing in battery-powered eVTOLs. Still, I can’t help but remain skeptical. That’s because the promotional videos don’t show the Airbike taking off or landing. I don’t doubt that it can perform those maneuvers; it’s just more information Volonaut chose to withhold from the public. My general cynicism toward flying motorcycles might have something to do with it, too.
No-fly zone
Over the last eight years, flying motorcycles have amounted to little more than vaporware. Whatever happened to the Hoversurf S3 that Dubai Police tested, or the “air taxis” Suzuki planned to build? Most recently, Rictor debuted the Skyrider X1 at CES 2025, but only presented images and digital renders of the flying electric motorcycle. With those examples in mind, it’s difficult to see the Airbike reaching mass production. That might be a good thing.
While Volonaut describes the Airbike as a “breakthrough in personal air mobility,” part of me shudders at the thought of flying motorbikes. What happens when you run into a windstorm? What happens when you whiskey throttle into a third-story apartment window? What happens if you run out of fuel?
Don’t get me wrong. Speeder bikes and hover bikes look cool on the silver screen, but that doesn’t mean I want to own one. From where I stand, flying motorcycles feel like the bikes no one asked for, like they’re serving riders that don’t exist.
At the same time, I’m happy that Volonaut made the Airbike. Its Star Wars-inspired video was worth a belly laugh and a shake of the head. If that’s all it — or any flying motorcycle, for that matter — amounts to, that’s fine by me.
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