Two companies are vying to have the world’s first flying motorbike, but they are taking very different approaches.
At the same time, UDX has been developing its Airwolf. The Czech team is currently testing a scale prototype at Technology Readiness Level 5 of 9 which, in NASA parlance, means “component validation in the relevant environment.” For the rest of us, that means the two-seat, noting that interested customers can sign up for a test flight, though no dates have been announced yet.
The two are also apples and oranges in terms of propulsion. The Razor uses eight jet engines for greater speed, redundancy, and a more compact footprint. The Airwolf, a zero-emissions tiltrotor eVTOL, is capable of taking off and landing vertically with precision flight controls and, a major bonus—enough space for a passenger behind the driver. It also has fixed wings for gliding in emergencies.
The EDFs also permit easier storage in a garage compared to other aircraft with conventional propellers that require more width to achieve equivalent thrust. Madeja says the airframe will be manufactured in-house by UDX, and the electric components will be produced by the Czech MGM Compro, while battery cells will likely be sourced from Tesla.
Madeja expects the Airwolf to fall under an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate, Experimental Category, requiring an AMEL private pilot’s license to fly in the United States. Airwolf plans to make the US its launch market and eventual manufacturing base. The license will be attainable with about 50 hours of training. If development stays on track, the Airwolf should be commercially available by 2028.
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