San Antonio Express-News

‘Jedi’-like flying scooters about to zoom into reality

- By Peter Holley

They have been a staple of science-fiction films for decades, from the iconic speeder bikes in “Return of the Jedi” to the jet bike from “Looper.”

Now a California company says it’s taking orders for a real life flying motorcycle powered by five modified jet engines on the base of the aircraft.

Dubbed the “Speeder,” the $380,000 vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft will reach at least 150 miles per hour, have a 45-mile range and be able to travel as high as 15,000 feet when it debuts next year, according to David Mayman, the CEO of JetPack Aviation, a company that creates and sells personal jet packs.

The speeds and heights may sound far-fetched, but company officials say they’re already testing a one-third scale prototype. The plan, they say, is to roll out 20 full-size Speeders ready for customers next year.

For those bold enough to ride one, the aircraft comes standard with a safety strap.

“This is a compact machine, like a motorcycle, that can take off vertically from your front lawn or driveway and land on the other side of the city in a similar position,” said Mayman, who famously made a jet-pack flight around the statue of Liberty in 2015. “That kind of convenienc­e and size is what we’ve all dreamed about, but this idea has always been treated like science fiction.”

Increasing­ly, flying cars, motorcycle­s and other personal craft are no longer the stuff of imaginatio­n. The Speeder is the latest entry into the race to create autonomous flying vehicles, with companies such as Uber, Airbus and Volocopter already developing them. Eventually, flying car inventors say, commuters will be able to order an air taxi that whisks them across town in minutes, bypassing trafficclo­gged streets below.

In Dubai, police unveiled a flying motorbike known as the Scorpion in 2017 that places a daring pilot between four whirling propellers.

In Texas, the chief executive of LIFT Aircraft says his start-up’s electric-powered vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft, the Hexa, plans to begin offering 15-minute flights across a lake outside Austin this year for $249 a pop.

Unlike with convention­al aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administra­tion does not require a pilot’s license to operate a “powered ultralight” craft. The agency’s rules require instead that ultralight­s operate during daylight hours in open areas and limit their use to sport and recreation.

Like others developing similar crafts, Mayman said the Speeder will be used for recreation and operated on personal property until rules and regulation­s begin to evolve. The craft can be operated autonomous­ly or semi-autonomous­ly using a throttle and a joystick that will feel familiar to video game enthusiast­s, he said.

At some point, the Speeder could be adapted to use electric energy, but for now, Mayman said, no battery cells come close to the speed and potential power created by turbine engines.

“Infrastruc­ture and regulation are not there yet to allow even electric aircraft to fly around cities,” he said, noting that the Speeder uses a kerosene-based fuel. “I strongly believe that will come if the use case and safety of the aircraft can be demonstrat­ed.”

Mayman maintains there’s a large role for the Speeder to play in both civilian and military life. He said his company has been working for several years to develop a jet pack that could be used by special forces soldiers. As their payload requiremen­ts continued to increase, he said, engineers began designing a personal aircraft that eventually turned into the Speeder.

In military settings, Mayman said, the aircraft could be used to transport heavy loads or move soldiers on and off the battlefiel­d, especially in areas too dangerous for helicopter­s.

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