Ornithopters have been stuck at one speed for decades, limiting these bird-like drones to wide-open spaces—until The Swift’s dual-tail system changed everything. French aeronautical engineer Edwin Van Ruymbeke designed this breakthrough to overcome flapping-wing flight’s fundamental constraint: traditional ornithopters operate effectively at only one speed range. You can now experience genuine bird-like flight both outdoors at racing speeds and indoors with precision control that wouldn’t disturb your neighbor’s cat.
Fast Outdoor Flight, Precise Indoor Control
The dual-tail system delivers two completely different flight experiences. Snap on the Speed Tail and you’re hitting 31 km/h across open fields. Switch to the Precision Tail and suddenly you’re navigating living rooms at a gentle 3.5 km/h. Each tail offers five adjustable settings through the smartphone app, letting you fine-tune everything from glide response to turn sensitivity. At just 10.9 grams, this carbon fiber and titanium construction feels more like launching a paper airplane than piloting serious tech.
Smart Stabilization Meets Crash-Proof Design
Van Ruymbeke equipped The Swift with an STMicroelectronics LSM6DSR IMU—the same six-axis sensor tech that keeps your smartphone camera steady during TikTok videos. You can dial stabilization from “raw feel” for experienced pilots to “highly assisted” for beginners. The EPP foam body bounces back from impacts that would destroy traditional drones, addressing durability complaints that plagued Van Ruymbeke’s earlier ornithopters like the fragile MetaFly.
Family Legacy Meets Modern Crowdfunding
Van Ruymbeke brings 15 years of biomimetic flight experience plus family heritage dating to his grandfather’s TIM mechanical birds from the 1960s. His four previous Kickstarter campaigns raised over €1 million with 9,000+ backers worldwide. The Swift’s €109 standard pledge tier undercuts the €156 planned retail price, with September 2026 delivery expected. The 150-meter control range and 10-12 minute flight time position this firmly in premium hobbyist territory.
This breakthrough transforms ornithopters from outdoor-only curiosities into versatile flight platforms. Your gymnasium suddenly becomes as viable as your backyard, and that matters for bringing biomimetic engineering to spaces where traditional drones simply can’t operate effectively.
