Larry Page's flying car will go on sale this year

SAN JOSE, California - Get ready for the "it's a bird, it's a plane, no ... it's a flying car" memes.

The Kitty Hawk Flyer, an electric flying vehicle, will be available by the end of the year, the Larry Page-backed Mountain View startup said recently.

But it will land on water, not on a road near you.

Sebastian Thrun, the computer scientist who led the development of Google's self-driving car, is CEO of Kitty Hawk.

The startup released photos and a video showing the flying jet-ski-like prototype, although it said the flyer that will be available for sale this year "will have a different look and feel".

Kitty Hawk did not release a price for the flying vehicle, but a cool $100 will buy you a three-year membership and give you "priority placement" on the waiting list to buy one. And you get a $2,000 discount to boot.

In case jet-ski-like isn't technical enough for you, here are more details, courtesy of a spokeswoman and the startup's website:

The Flyer is an ultralight aircraft or octocopter that needs no runway because it takes off and lands vertically. Kitty Hawk says it can hold an altitude of up to 5 meters and is designed to fly over fresh water.

Because the Flyer operates in the FAR 103 Ultralight Category of US FAA regulations, you don't need a pilot's license to operate it. It doesn't need to be registered, either, and may be flown in uncongested areas, Kitty Hawk says.

Cimeron Morrissey, the pilot of the prototype, wrote in a Medium post that she had never piloted a toy helicopter, let alone a real airplane.

"I feel like the Flyer and I are one. I nudge the pitch knob forward and rocket across the lake," she wrote in a description of her experience. "I feel light and ecstatic and utterly free. This is just like my flying dreams!"

It's all thanks to the flying dreams of Google co-founder Page. He has reportedly spent $100 million or more on flying-car startups, including Zee. Aero, whose flying car was spotted in Hollister in October.

A spokeswoman for Kitty Hawk said that Zee. Aero is a division of Kitty Hawk.

Tribune News Service

(China Daily 05/10/2017 page19)