Kitty Hawk, the flying car company founded by Google’s Larry Page has a new personal car model coming to a sky near you. The Flyer, a single-seat vehicle operated by joystick is fully electric and has been described as a mix of a pontoon plane and a drone, though it’s not remotely operated, CNBC reported.
The flying car will start at a speed of 20 miles per hour, and will be able to fly up to 10 feet above ground, with pilots ready to take the skies after just an hour of training, according to Bloomberg. The quick training time makes the flying car more accessible, according to Sebastian Thrun, a self-driving car innovator and CEO of Kitty Hawk. “If it’s less than an hour, it opens up flight to pretty much everyone,” Thrun told CNN. He hopes the cars will one day be able to reach a speed of 100 miles per hour.
Another Kitty Hawk venture includes the Cora aircraft, a two-seat electric pilotless taxi aircraft. So far, the vehicle has been tested in New Zealand. The company’s plan is for its flying vehicles to become “part of a service similar to an airline or a rideshare.”
CNN reporter Rachel Crane, who tested out the Flyer said, “The joystick is so intuitive, but it’s not the most comfortable thing I’ve ever sat in. You definitely feel the vibrations.”
It’s still unclear when the vehicle will be released—and at what price—but according to Thrun, these cars could take to the skies in the next five years.
