Kitty Hawk, a startup backed by Google cofounder has unveiled a prototype for an “ultralight” aircraft that could be the flying car we all have been waiting for to beat traffic.
It takes off vertically.
Sebastian Thrun, CEO of Kitty Hawk and a former Google exec who led the company’s self-driving car efforts, described the mission on Twitter as nothing short of “changing the future of personal transportation”.
“Oh my God! This is really happening!” excited Cimeron Morrissey, one of the first test pilot of the Flyer said.
Narrating here experience, she said “I use my right thumb to gently nudge the “pitch” knob back. The Flyer responds gracefully and floats backward. I ease up on the controls and hover ten feet above the water like a hummingbird. My left index finger slides another knob — called a “yaw” — and the Flyer stays stationary on its axis while spinning around 180 degrees. The flyer is still perfectly balanced”.
“Speeding above the lake at up to 25 miles per hour, I thumb the controls left and right, rocking the Flyer side-to-side, drawing a “U” in the air. It’s like snowboarding in a gully, coming up high and weightless on the apex of a ridge.
“Next, I bank a wide, cushy turn, pushing against air. This feels just like kitesurfing when you hit a top-turn on a big, blue wave.
“Landing is a breeze. I just gently ease down the throttle and softly drift to touch down on the dock.
“My whole body tingles.
“There’s only one thought in my mind: When can I do it again?” she narrated.
“Our mission is to make the dream of personal flight a reality.
“We believe when everyone has access to personal flight, a new, limitless world of opportunity will open up to them,” a statement read on the startup’s website.
The Kitty Hawk Flyer is a new, all-electric aircraft.
“It is safe, tested and legal to operate in the United States in uncongested areas under the Ultralight category of FAA regulations.
“We’ve designed our first version specifically to fly over water. You don’t need a pilot’s license and you’ll learn to fly it in minutes,” the statement said.
Kitty Hawk says the official Flyer will be available by the end of the year.