The ‘flying car’ is real, with deliveries scheduled for this year

A Silicon Valley “flying car” startup, Kitty Hawk, reportedly backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, released a video Monday of its airborne prototype and announced plans for deliveries of a “personal flying machine” this year.

“Our mission is to make the dream of personal flight a reality. We believe when everyone has access to personal flight, a new, limitless world of opportunity will open up to them,” said a statement on the website of the Kitty Hawk company, based in Google’s home town of Mountain View, California.

“Today we’re announcing our first prototype of The Flyer, a personal flying machine that will become available for sale by the end of 2017.”

The video showed the single-seat aircraft -- with two pontoons and a spider web-like platform -- taking off from a lake at an undisclosed location and hovering above the water, where it is meant to be used.

The craft, propelled by eight rotors, takes off and lands vertically, like a helicopter. It is said to weigh about 100kg and fly at speeds up to 40km/h; users are supposed to hover at low levels, only 4.5 metres high.

The company describes the Flyer as “a new, all-electric aircraft,” which is “safe, tested and legal to operate in the United States in uncongested areas” under US federal regulations for ultralight aircraft. No pilot’s license is required, and two hours’ training is said to be all that is needed.