So when we all think of Kitty Hawk, history comes to mind. Most of us think of the first flight back in 1903. Nothing of IT support or tech innovation comes to mind. But maybe it should: Kitty Hawk and flying taxis.
So in this story, Kitty Hawk is an up and coming flying car company. Furthermore, big names in the IT world back this company. I mean names like Google’s Larry Page and Udacity’s Sebastian Thrun. However, Kitty Hawk is about to get bigger. Because they just made a deal with airplane giant Boeing. Both companies want to increase urban air travel. Both are also looking at things like safety and robotics when it comes to flying taxis.
The name of their two-person air taxi is Cora. We know little about this collaboration between Kitty Hawk and Boeing. That’s because they’re telling us little. But they’re working on a self-piloting version of Cora. In fact, one Boeing executive hints that this is the next step in transportation and air mobility. Cora can already fly like a helicopter and an airplane. In fact, tests in New Zealand continue to this day. So how long before Cora comes flying to your airport, or even to your door?
We all read stories about the rise of driverless cars. We also read stories about robots taking over jobs and other ways of life. Both elements are in this story. Because no human being will fly Cora. She will fly herself. If Kitty Hawk and flying taxis become true, then imagine taking one of these to work everyday. Yes, that will get you there quicker. That will cut down on road traffic some, too. But what if a million people got these Coras. Won’t that contribute to air traffic, not including the commercial airlines as well? So with these flying taxis, are we solving a problem? Or are we creating a new one?