The ‘Flying Car’ Backed by Google’s Co-Founder Is Here
Silicon valley has been working on the development of a flying car for years. And Larry Page, the co-founder of Google, has been hinting at his vision of one for quite some time now. Now, there’s finally visible proof.
Known as The Kitty Hawk Flyer, the prototype made its debut on YouTube gliding on top of water above a lake 100 miles north of San Francisco. At nearly 220 pounds, the open-seated car only has room for one person, and is apparently “as loud as a speedboat.”
In a statement to The New York Times, Page said “We’ve all had dreams of flying effortlessly. I’m excited that one day very soon I’ll be able to climb onto my Kitty Hawk Flyer for a quick and easy personal flight.”
Along with the information on the project, The New York Times also published a more in depth test flight promo, where The Kitty Hawk flies fifteen feet above Clear Lake in California. According to the promo, you won’t need a pilot’s license and you will “learn to fly it in minutes.” We remain a little skeptical of this.
As the project is a prototype, it’s safe to say it’s going to be awhile before you can actually purchase the product. For now, the website offers only a way to become a member with a one time payment of $100.
Along with these features, you will also have $2,000 slashed off the price of the flyer, even though the price hasn’t yet been disclosed. Although the craft is not yet approved by the FAA, it classifies as “ultralight” and can be operated without a pilot’s license. As for full FAA approval, Kitty Hawk’s CEO Sebastian Thrun shared that “We have been in contact with the FAA and we see the regulators as friends.” In other words, there is confidence it will receive the approval it needs.
So it’s not yet The Jetsons, but it’s way cooler than we could have imagined.
