Page's investment wasn't just focused on this one product, of course. Kitty Hawk notes that there are several prototypes in the works, and this is more a "vision of the future" than the sum total of its plans. The focus on over-water flights is intentional -- it's meant to reassure Federal Aviation Administration officials worried that unlicensed pilots will be flying over populated areas. The company wants to work with the FAA to enable more ambitious vehicles, but it would rather play it safe in the early stages.
Kitty Hawk might want to hurry. Airbus may test a more practical flying car by the end of the year, Ehang wants to fly passenger drones in the summer, and personal jets are becoming viable. While the Flyer may become an honest-to-goodness product relatively quickly, it's not the people carrier that others are promising. Kitty Hawk may need to move fast if it wants to fend off its flying car rivals.
via engadget
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