Would you pilot a flying car? Google co-founder set to let the public try out the Kitty Hawk

Larry Page’s Kitty Hawk flying car just got even closer to coming to fruition.

The startup has unveiled a new version of its prototype ‘Flyer’ vehicle and it appears more polished than the electrical aircraft, resembling a jet ski, which was released last April. 

The firm even says it is now making the futuristic flying vehicle available for test flights for those interested in pre-ordering the car.

Interested customers don’t even need a pilot’s license to take Flyer for a spin, as the company says it only requires a one-hour training course before users are able to take to the skies. 

 

Kitty Hawk has unveiled a new version of its prototype ‘Flyer’ vehicle and it appears more polished than the electrical aircraft, resembling a jet ski, which was released last April

HOW DO YOU FLY THE KITTY HAWK FLEY? 

To operate it, pilots simply use two control sticks, which the firm says make it ‘as easy to use as playing Minecraft’.

One, a sliding controller, lets pilots control their altitude.

A joystick allows direction to be changed. 

There are no instrument clusters or screens to monitor.

As a safety precaution, pilots are only allowed to fly the vehicle up to 6mph. 

Eventually, Kitty Hawk CEO Sebastian Thrun hopes that it will only take five minutes before riders are ready to pilot the Flyer. 

‘If it’s less than an hour, it opens up flight to pretty much everyone,’ Thrun told CNN.  

For safety reasons, Kitty Hawk is only testing the vehicle over water at a facility in Las Vegas. 

The firm offered CNN an exclusive ride in Flyer and released a new 30-second video showing it in action.  

In the video, the 250lb flying car is seen coasting above the water thanks to its new propellers, which have been increased from eight to ten rotors.

As a safety precaution, pilots are only allowed to fly the vehicle up to 6mph. 

However, Thrun said the vehicle can go much faster and he hopes it could one day be able to go ’50, 60 or even 100mph’. 

Flyer uses a lithium-polymer battery, which means the all-electric vehicle can only run for about 20 minutes on a single charge. 

To operate it, pilots simply use two control sticks, which Thrun says make it ‘as easy to use as playing Minecraft’. 

Thrun noted that the Flyer is much easier to use than a helicopter because it doesn’t require as much flying experience in order to operate. 

‘In this vehicle, if you let go of the controls it will stay where it is,’ Thrun explained. 

‘The same is not true for a helicopter’. 

In the video, the 250lb flying car is seen coasting above the water thanks to its new propellers, which have been increased from eight to ten rotors. Pilots are only allowed to go up to 6mph

In the video, the 250lb flying car is seen coasting above the water thanks to its new propellers, which have been increased from eight to ten rotors. Pilots are only allowed to go up to 6mph

Flyer uses a lithium-polymer battery, which means the all-electric vehicle can only run for about 20 minutes on a single charge

Flyer uses a lithium-polymer battery, which means the all-electric vehicle can only run for about 20 minutes on a single charge

The company has conducted 1,500 test flights with its employees, up from 1,200 in 2017, according to CNN. The car has come a long way since the firm first released a rough prototype

The company has conducted 1,500 test flights with its employees, up from 1,200 in 2017, according to CNN. The car has come a long way since the firm first released a rough prototype

Google CEO Larry Page, who is a key backer of the company behind the Flyer

Google CEO Larry Page, who is a key backer of the company behind the Flyer

In order to get the vehicle ready for the public, Kitty Hawk has ramped up testing over the last year.

The company has conducted 1,500 test flights with its employees, up from 1,200 in 2017, according to CNN. 

The next step is to get Flyer in the hands of customers, although a price hasn’t been released yet. 

The firm also intends on fitting Flyer with a parachute to make it even safer. 

Kitty Hawk expects to make the vehicle available first to buyers interested in purchasing an entire fleet, such as amusement parks.  

Thrun has visions of the Flyer and other flying cars becoming commonplace in society. 

‘It’s a recreational vehicle, meant for recreational flight,’ Thrun said. 

‘But in the far distant future, I can see that maybe we take something similar and fly it into New York or Manhattan’. 

MEET THE KITTY HAWK: GOOGLE X FOUNDER REVEALS HIS INCREDIBLE FLYING ‘JET SKI’

Kitty Hawk is an electrical aircraft that resembles a flying jet ski, but it doesn’t require a pilot’s license to fly.

It includes ‘Godfather of self-driving cars,’ Sebastian Thrun as chief executive  and co-owner, and Larry Page among its investors.

The vehicle weighs around 220lbs (100kg) and can hit speeds of up to 25 miles per hour (40kph).

According to the Kitty Hawk site, the machine is ‘safe, tested and legal to operate in the US’, as long as it is flown in ‘uncongested areas.’

Users can learn to fly the strange vehicle in minutes, the company claims.

The prototype can only fly around 10 metres (33 feet) over water, and the video of the vehicle shows it gliding over a lake in California.

The company is offering a $2000 (£1560) discount to those willing to pay an early $100 (£78) deposit for a vehicle now, though it has not said how much the vehicles will cost.

This prepayment will grant the discount as well as some early test flights with the Kitty Hawk, according to The New York Times.

Aside from safety, Kitty Hawk is now focusing on harvesting ‘social acceptance’ for the Flyer. 

‘Will people be willing to fly these devices or live next to a device like this that flies in your neighborhood?,’ Thrun said.

‘That’s the reason we opened this training center.’ 



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