Möwe

The Möwe (メーヴェ, Mēve, sometimes transliterated as Mehve) is a fictional one-person plane/glider shown in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Möwe is a German word meaning "seagull", and refers to the vehicle's form and color, as well as the proximity of the Valley of Wind to the Sea of Decay. Nausicaä employed one to travel.

It is unarmed, though the pilot can deploy non-lethal flash grenades to disorient pursuers. It can store a rifle/shotgun on the back. It does not provide any protection from the elements for the pilot, who is completely exposed to the wind. Although its performance specifications are not clear, it is slow enough to allow the pilot to hold onto and control it with nothing more than his/her arms and body weight. The möwe also possesses V/STOL capabilities.

The möwe has an approximate wingspan of 5.8 meters (1/20 model measured to be 29 cm), and is only 12 kg according to the design notes. In 2004, the Japanese-led OpenSky Aircraft Project began attempts to build a real-life, working Möwe.

Möwe メーヴェ