The Kitty Hawk Flyer personal flying machine that we first profiled last yearhas come a long way since we last saw it in action. At that time—although it certainly looked like it would be a blast to buzz around on—the prototype was still in quite a rough state: It essentially looked like a platform made from netting with a seat on top connected to an array of downward-facing propellers and two pontoons.
The Flyer only accommodates a single pilot and no passengers, but since the FAA categorizes it as a recreational ultralight vehicle, you don’t need any sort of certification or registration to fly it. Sensors and software aboard the craft keep it fully stabilized in the air, allowing the pilot to control it with just two joysticks. The company says most people are able to confidently fly it in under two hours. That said, flight time tops out at 20 minutes on a single battery charge, so it might take a few trial runs before you master it.
Kitty Hawk has not yet set a release date for its Flyer, but it has already set up a training facility on Lake Las Vegas to give people a taste of flying its baby.Photo: Kitty Hawk / The Kitty Hawk Flyer personal flying machine
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