Personal flying vehicles

[pmbug]

I posted a joke in the car privacy thread about the practicality of an ultralight vehicle:

Post in thread 'Privacy4cars.com - delete information your cars collect about you'

Apr 29, 2026

Looking more practical by the day...

• pmbug

Today I discovered a new one. Perhaps one of these things might become mainstream one day...

...
Volonaut Airbike technical specifications

• Empty vehicle mass: 30kg (66lbs)
• Top speed: 102km/h (63mph) - in compliance with FAA Ultralight
• Max pilot mass: 95kg (209lbs)
• Propulsion: redundant jet turbines
• Flight time: max 10 minutes
• Fuel type: diesel, biodiesel, Jet-A1, kerosene
• Refuel time: under 1 minute
• Control: fully redundant flight computer enhanced stabilization
• License to operate: none required in the US - in compliance with FAA Ultralight

...

About Volonaut Airbike — Volonaut

volonaut.com

This one is only $880K. What a deal!

 

[Viking]

Already got one.

 

[Casey Jones]

They won't let me drive a car without a satellite kill-switch, Breathylizer and iris scan, and they're gonna just allow anyone to do this?

I think not. Before we build personal flying machines, we're gonna have to destroy the Regulatory State.

 

[Bottom Feeder]

No breathalyzer or iris scan involved here:

​

Speed is believed to be a factor in the crash that left this motorcycle dangling.
Road/Track

This is not an A.I.-generated image. This is a real scene from an automobile-motorcycle wreck in Canada. A BMW 3-Series crashed into a motorcycle and launched it nearly 20 feet into the air, where it became stuck on a traffic signal above an intersection.

 

[Casey Jones]

^^^
I'd call bull scat on that one, except that I've seen accidents as weird on the rails. Cars, trucks, survivors who got run over by trains and came out unscratched.

But ya know...that's just Darwin cleaning the gene pool. As the comments said, the mortarsickle had to be going at an EXTREME rate of speed to launch a 450-pound road bike that high up and then wedge it on the crossbeam.

A fair chance that even if the NPC rider didn't learn anything, he'll be staying of bikes awhile.

 

[pmbug]

... A BMW 3-Series crashed into a motorcycle and launched it nearly 20 feet into the air, ...

Video:

 

[Casey Jones]

Video:

I'm calling BS on that "video."

Notice his partner there...who stopped short. Doing a "standee" - up on the front wheel, instead of the rear. Stunt riders do this.

And yes, it can happen in panic stops, too. BUT...while the crashed rider is bouncing down the pavement, and his new bike is flying, the other cycle and rider just stands there on the front wheel...immobile.

Impossible. You either crash down on your rear tire, or fall over on your side. Or if you're really skilled, you wobble to balance, like a bear on a unicycle. But there's NO movement from that guy.

IMHO, someone doctored that pic and made an AI vid. Nothing is real, anymore.

 

[Joe King]

I'm calling BS on that "video."

Notice his partner there...who stopped short. Doing a "standee" - up on the front wheel, instead of the rear. Stunt riders do this.

And yes, it can happen in panic stops, too. BUT...while the crashed rider is bouncing down the pavement, and his new bike is flying, the other cycle and rider just stands there on the front wheel...immobile.

Impossible. You either crash down on your rear tire, or fall over on your side. Or if you're really skilled, you wobble to balance, like a bear on a unicycle. But there's NO movement from that guy.

IMHO, someone doctored that pic and made an AI vid. Nothing is real, anymore.

The accident is absolutely real. That vid is somehow edited to leave the bike in a wheel stand just before impact.