【】
Google co-founder Larry Page has reportedly been working on a flying car project for some time now -- and today, the world finally got its first official look.
The Kitty Hawk Flyer made its debut in a YouTube video (naturally) showing the craft's propellor-based aviation system zipping above water.
In a statement given 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.”
Kitty Hawk apparently has aims that go beyond just amateur pilots.
"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," reads the text under the promo video. "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 Flyer prototype zoomed about 15 feet above Clear Lake in California during a five-minute long demo session for the NYT, which published some extra footage of the ride along with its report, seen below.
The company is offering up three-year memberships for $100, which promises perks like Kitty Hawk-branded swag packages, early access to product updates, and, most importantly, priority on the wait list to actually buy the Flyer once it goes on sale sometime before the end of this year, according to estimates. The expected retail price and final design haven't been disclosed, either -- today's footage only showed off a prototype -- but the membership will also earn you a $2,000 discount off the eventual price, which definitely won't be cheap.
Until the craft is fully approved by the FAA, there's no way of knowing exactly when that day will come -- but Kitty Hawk's CEO, Google X founding director Sebastian Thrun, is confident the project won't be delayed. "We have been in contact with the FAA and we see the regulators as friends,” he told the NYT.
Tweet may have been deleted
This might not be exactly what we were expecting from Page's flying car project -- an ultralight lake recreation rig isn't quite the a full-on, land-to-air vehicle of our dreams -- but for now, it's an exciting place to start.
Featured Video For You
Freak out over this video of the coolest flying car yet
TopicsGoogle
相关文章
Tesla's rumored P100D could make Ludicrous mode even more Ludicrous
A Tesla Model S P100D begs the question: What's more Ludicrous than Ludicrous?Right now, the biggest2024-11-21A Dog's Take: Alexa Guard Plus will NEVER replace dogs
A world in which AI-powered surveillance systems appropriate the work of canines is not a world in w2024-11-21What your favorite 'Fall Guys' Season 1 level says about you
Hold onto your six-foot, perfectly smooth, white, crack-less bottoms. There are just 9 days left in2024-11-21Video call lens turns gestures into comic
With video calls now an unfortunate 2020 staple, unmuting your microphone to briefly agree with some2024-11-21Singapore gets world's first driverless taxis
SINGAPORE -- The world's first self-driving taxis started picking up passengers in Singapore on Thur2024-11-21NFL paints 'End Racism' on its fields and no, this isn't a joke
The NFL's unhelpful attempt at standing for social justice is getting dragged by Twitter. NFL Commis2024-11-21
最新评论