Artist Kazuhiko Hachiya takes his last flight on his jet engine-powered glider modeled after the one seen in “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.” (Footage partly filmed by Tatsuo Kanai and Kazuhiro Ichikawa and partly provided by Kazuhiko Hachiya)

Photo/Illutration Fans watch the M-02J aircraft’s final flight in Noda, Chiba Prefecture, on Nov. 16. (Tatsuo Kanai)

NODA, Chiba Prefecture—Nearly a decade after first taking to the sky in his take on the glider from “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind,” Kazuhiko Hachiya flew his creation for the last time here.  

The M-02J modeled after Moewe, or Mehve, from the Studio Ghibli film drew applause from a host of fans gathered at the Sora Matsuri 2025 festival at Sekiyado Glider Field in Noda, Chiba Prefecture, on Nov. 16.

While its final flight was a handful of minutes long, the journey 59-year-old Hachiya took to bring the fictional glider into reality stretched much longer.

The artist, who specializes in new media, started building the aircraft in 2003 and took it out for its maiden flight in 2016 as part of what he calls the OpenSky project.

Hachiya said he began working on it at the height of the Iraq War in the hopes the plane would serve as a symbol of peace like Nausicaa, the title character of the 1984 movie, who acts as a mediator between warring forces.

The single-seater is powered by a jet engine and is designed for the pilot, secured with safety gear, to lay on top of it. In place of a traditional steering system, Hachiya uses a harness connected to the wings to change course and shifts his body weight to ascend and descend.

The craft can climb to a maximum altitude of about 100 meters and has a top speed of 90 kph, according to Hachiya.

Outside of the event in Noda, the M-02J has won fans who found it through YouTube and elsewhere. Hachiya’s decision to retire from piloting comes with a desire to share his skills as the only person currently able to fly it.

Along with this is his hope of teaching younger successors about the technology behind the machine, including its development, assembly and flight.

He is also considering putting the aircraft on display permanently while maintaining it to make sure the engine remains operable.

“I had a good final flight,” Hachiya said. “But this is not the end of everything. I hope to prepare a school where young people could get to train.”

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