This flying taxi is quieter than a dishwasher
What's the story
Kitty Hawk, the 'flying taxi' start-up backed by Google's co-founder Larry Page and Boeing, has unveiled a new aircraft called Heaviside. It is the third vehicle from the company in its electric aircraft line-up and can fly by making much lesser noise than your regular dishwasher. Here's all you need to know about Heaviside and its capabilities.
Aircraft
Heaviside: Aircraft to cover 48 kilometers in 15 minutes
First reported by TechCrunch, Heaviside is a multi-rotor aircraft capable of vertical lift-off-and-landing. It uses a total of eight rotors - two on the cabin and six on wings - to take off and is said to have a maximum range of 160 kilometers. Notably, the vehicle can cover a distance of 48km in 15 minutes, which takes its speed to about 120km/hr.
Size
Heaviside also fairly small in size
Kitty Hawk hasn't revealed the exact capabilities of Heaviside, including the details of its powertrain, battery. However, the folks at TechCrunch, who got an early look at the craft, say that the one-seater bird boasts a wingspan of 20 feet and is smaller than a business class Cessna airplane. From looks, it appears passenger-ready and also packs a pair of pontoons for water landing.
Noise
And, there's very little noise during flight
The thing Kitty Hawk has particularly highlighted about Heaviside is its ability to fly without making too much noise. They say the aircraft can fly at an altitude of 1,500 feet by producing as little as 38 decibels of noise. This is quieter than helicopters producing 80 decibels as well as vacuum cleaners and dishwashers putting out 70-80 dBA and 40+ dBA, respectively.
Goal
Goal to tackle traffic in urban areas
Ultimately, Kitty Hawk wants to evolve this, and the other two vehicles, to enable a flying taxi service that would beat the traffic in urban areas. It is already working with Air New Zealand to bring the service in the country, but there are no details of the production plan. The company might also have to upgrade these vehicles to fit in more seats.