Google's Larry Page backed Kitty Hawk shares flying car video
What's the story
Google's Larry Page backed flying car firm, Kitty Hawk has released a video of its working prototype of a flying car. The cherry on the cake is the fact that users will be able to buy one of these contraptions by 2017-end and it doesn't require a driver's license. So if you're interested in getting your hands on one of these, read on!
Future technology
Get flight-trained in minutes
The Kitty Hawk looks futuristic with eight battery-powered propellers and the firm assures that it would take the rider just minutes to learn how to fly it. In case you are looking for a little more to sweeten the deal, the fact that it has a decent speed of up to 40 km/hour, should help.
Flying the car
How to fly the Kitty Hawk aircraft
The entire operation is quite simple; the rider sits on Kitty Hawk aircraft standing on two cigar-shaped pontoons and he/she navigates it with the help of a joystick. There is an underlying concern that the rotors below may make mince meat out of the rider but the firm assures that the net they have placed over the propellers will not let that happen.
Expense
Here's the pocket pinch
The machine has been designed to be flown over fresh waters and is not suitable for day-to-day commuting. The price of the aircraft, slated for sale at the end of this year, has not been revealed yet, but one can opt for a priority order and a $2,000 discount will be offered if one signs up for a three-year membership with the firm.
Possibilities
Still nascent but has a huge potential
There has been a lot of hullabaloo over the prospect of having flying cars in the near future; some big names in the tech world are shelling out millions to make this a reality. Uber has promised to bring flying cab service within the next five years and city of Dubai is planning to have a flying car service for its citizens by 2020.
Precautions
If flying cars become the standard
Kitty Hawk is promising but has its limitations and over time we will see the advent of aircrafts that will be more dynamic in nature and wider in scope. Although, these prospects look promising and now that we have a commercial flying car/personal aircraft coming out, one should also weigh in on regulations and public safety measure for this new era.