Everyone wants a flying car for some reason. Plenty of folks are desperate for it, despite not only the risks to public health and safety from giving Altima drivers the power of flight but the physical improbability of it all. Cars are heavy, which is why every flying car concept ends up just actually being a helicopter or small plane. Motorcycles, though — motorcycles are light. Flying cars may not be realistic, but flying motorcycles are a lot closer to reality.
Take, for instance, the Volonaut Airbike. Volonaut claims this is a fully-functional jet-powered flying motorcycle capable of speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour. Is that true? Who knows! Will this ever see broad adoption? Great question! There are a million things working against Volonaut here, from people’s general sense of self-preservation to the maintenance intervals on jet engines, but the company has one thing right: It’s a lot easier to lift a motorcycle than a car.
Flying bikes make more sense than flying cars
Of course, flying versions of both cars and bikes will generally be designed to weigh less than their terrestrial counterparts. Volonaut claims an extensive use of 3D printing and carbon fiber in the Airbike, leading to the claim that the Airbike is “seven times lighter than a typical motorcycle.” Again, whether that’s actually true will depend on independent verification — it’s hard enough to get terrestrial motorcycle manufacturers to be honest about weight specs — but the baseline weight comparison there is the part that really matters. An average motorcycle like a Yamaha MT-07 weighs 403 pounds, while an average sedan like a Chevy Mailbu weighs in at 3,135 — nearly eight times the weight. Which of those two will be easier to lift?
Motorcyclists, too, are accustomed to leaning in corners. Aircraft operate the same way, using not only yaw adjustments via rudder input but pitch and roll changes in order to bank and turn. The motorcyclist skillset doesn’t translate one-to-one to assisted flight, but it’s certainly better preparation than toddling through a parking lot to earn your New Jersey driver’s license. A flying car is neither safe nor simple, but a flying bike is at least a little bit better. Less weight, more preparation, can’t lose.