Real-life Star Wars speeder reaches 124mph but $880,000 price tag isn't its only drawback
We're a little late for May 4, but if you fancy yourself as the ultimate Star Wars fan, you can now take to the skies with your own speeder.
While speeders are a popular mode of transport across the franchise, arguably the most infamous inclusion is the chase on the forest moon of Endor in Return of the Jedi. Here, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa duked it out with a group of scout troopers on 74-Z speeder bikes.
The fact that Star Wars is a fictional franchise means we sadly won't be able to soar high on an actual 74-Z while pretending we can serve the Empire; however, that hasn't stopped one company from releasing its own vehicle.
What is the Volonaut Airbike?
As the brainchild of Polish inventor Tomasz Patan, the Volonaut Airbike is a personal vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft that's said to reach an impressive 124 mph.
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Some were originally skeptical about the Volonaut's credentials when it was first shown off in April 2025, with others simply declaring it's 'fake'. Still, as the months have gone on and we've seen more of the Volonaut, it looks like the real deal. Sorry, stormtroopers aren't included with every purchase.
Pitched as a "breakthrough in personal air mobility," the Volonaut uses jet propulsion and a proprietary stabilization system that's enhanced by a flight computer to provide automatic hover and easy control for riders.
Said to boast an unobstructed 360-degree view thanks to its unique riding position, the Volonaut can also whizz through confined areas with ease thanks to a lack of spinning propellers. If you weren't already sold, it's apparently seven times lighter than a typical motorbike due to using advanced carbon fiber materials and 3D printing.
More than this, the Volonaut claims to be in compliance with the Federal Aviation Authority and falls under the U.S. CFR Part 103 ultralight classification, meaning there's no need for a pilot's license to operate. Before you get ready to sacrifice a fresh batch of Jedi younglings as an offering, take note that the Volonaut comes with a couple of drawbacks.
How much is the Volonaut Airbike?
Notably, the Volonaut leaving stealth mode means we now know how much it's going to cost.
That comes in at a whopping $880,000, so most of you will have to start selling your best Beskar armor now. More than this, the bike only has a max flight time of 10 minutes. We'd also like to point out that there appears to be some confusion on speeds, as in the same tech specs that confirm the 10-minute limit, it says the Volonaut tops out at 63 mph.
Speaking to Forbes, Patan acknowledged some of the Volonaut's flaws and described it as a 'first-generation' product: "Its purpose is mainly recreational with some interesting use cases where rapid deployment and compact size could be of great benefit. Future Airbike generations will overcome most of those limitations and become more popular and accessible."
There's still plenty of interest, as over on the r/BeAmazed subreddit, one fan swooned: "There are two wet dreams in the life of every man who was a teenager in the '80s related to motorcycles.
“The motorcycle from Akira. The motorcycle from Return of the Jedi. This almost checks the latter...."
Another added: "Boy was I ready for this to be fake. That's awesome. Engineers are so cool."
Despite the problems, a third concluded: "This is very, very cool. I think at the price point though the 10-minute flight time is a real problem. If this thing could fly for an hour you'd probably see some people with money buying them for local travel.
"Still, love to see people working on it and who knows, maybe they'll figure out how to extend the range by dint of engineering progress."