T - 16 skyhopper / Legends The T - 16 skyhopper was a high - performance airspeeder . Characteristics . The Incom Corporation T - 16 Skyhopper was equipped with an ion drive and a fully pressurized cockpit , allowing it to operate at trans - orbital altitudes . Civilian versions of the skyhopper were armed with pneumatic cannons , and were equipped with targeting laser s though many law - enforcement agencies and planetary militaries throughout the galaxy utilized modified T - 16s due to their overall good performance . However , because it was armed with only a single mounted repeating blaster , it was often overlooked by the military . Even so , these airspeeders were often used as training vehicles by the Rebel Alliance , due to the fact that their flight controls were similar to those of X - wings . The skyhopper was a common sight across the galaxy , with versions of the craft found on nearly every settled world . The T - 16 was identified by its tri - wing design and triangular cabin . The three wings , which were reproduced in countless Imperial transports , provided excellent stability . The central airfoil segmented the canopy and blocked much of the pilot ' s view , but computer displays and a holographic mapping system compensated for this decreased field of view . The speeder had a top speed of approximately 1 , 200 kilometers per hour , and the two repulsor generators provided lift up to 300 meters . Many young pilots preferred skyhoppers over landspeeders because of the increased maneuverability . History . Luke Skywalker owned a T - 16 on his home planet of Tatooine , where he would use womp rats as target practice and race through Beggar ' s Canyon with his friend , Biggs Darklighter . After an incident where Skywalker " threaded the needle " during a dangerous run through Beggar ' s Canyon , the T - 16 ended up undergoing repairs at the Lars Homestead , repairs that were ultimately not completed by the time of the battle between the " Tantive IV " and the " Devastator " . Six months after the Battle of Yavin , two T - 16s were flying through Beggar ' s Canyon when the Empire raided Mos Eisley . The MT - 16 was a T - 16 modified by the New Republic with a blaster cannon for light combat . Behind the scenes . In " " , Luke is seen playing with a model of a T - 16 , which in reality was the prop miniature built by Colin Cantwell . The actual prop could not be completed , and an incomplete hull can be seen as a matte painting in the background . His T - 16 was ruined by Luke in - universe so he used his landspeeder to search for R2 - D2 . A flying T - 16 can be seen above Mos Eisley during the " " Special Edition ' s celebration ending sequence . In " " , a T - 16 can be seen in the background of the homestead garage scene . In the 1998 video game " , " the first bonus mission is a T - 16 skyhopper race between the player ( Luke Skywalker ) , Wedge Antilles , Zev Senesca , and Dak Ralter . In the game ' s sequels " " and " , " the player flies a T - 16 for the non - canon training . Some of the speeder points ( flight paths , in MMO terms ) in the 2011 video game " " use a vehicle of similar design - also referred to as a skyhopper - to travel to various points . The skyhopper is most often used on Balmorra and Voss , due to their largely mountainous terrains that inhibit the use of regular speeders .