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.
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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.
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