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PILOTLESS FLYING TAXIS are being tested in New Zealand as part of a project backed by Google co-founder Larry Page that supporters say will revolutionise personal transport.
New Zealand regulators late today approved plans for Zephyr Airworks, a subsidiary of Page’s company Kitty Hawk, to develop and test the futuristic air taxis.
Known as Cora, the electric aircraft has a dozen small lift rotors on its wings, making it capable of vertical take-off and landing like a helicopter.
But developers say it is much quieter, meaning it could transport passengers in urban areas using rooftops and car parks as landing pads.
“We are offering a pollution free, emission free vehicle that flies dependably, we think this is the logical next step in the evolution of transportation,” Zephyr chief executive Fred Reid said.
The Cora prototype being tested in New Zealand’s South Island uses three on-board computers to calculate its flight path and is capable of carrying two passengers.
The computers operate independently as a safety measure and the aircraft can deploy a parachute if anything goes wrong.
The aircraft, previously known as Zee.Aero, has a range of 100 kilometres (62 miles), reaching speeds of 150 kmh and an altitude of up to 900 metres (3,000 feet).
The Cora project envisages the air taxis becoming so common that “air travel will be woven into our daily lives”.
‘Like science fiction’
Zephyr said using them would be a simple experience for passengers.
“You wouldn’t have to know anything about flying a plane. Cora could fly for you,” it said in a promotional video.
And it would be all-electric, helping to build a sustainable world.
Page’s company is also developing a prototype personal aircraft called the Kitty Hawk Flyer and unveiled an early model in the United States last year.
However, it looked more like a recreational plaything than a flying car, suitable only for flying above water and seating the pilot in an open top cabin exposed to the elements.
Cora appears far more robust, with a design more like a traditional aircraft featuring wings, a tail and a closed canopy for passengers.
The aircraft will not be offered for sale, instead the public must book trips like they would with an airline or taxi service.
Zephyr said Cora took eight years to design but then developers needed a suitable environment to safely test the new technology.
They settled on New Zealand because of its uncongested airspace and rigorous regulatory environment, with Reid saying local officials had embraced the idea.
“We had no idea what to expect,” he said.
They could have laughed us out of the room. We were pitching something that sounded like science fiction.
Cora has been given an experimental airworthiness certificate from the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority.
Trialling the flying taxi service will reportedly take six years, with operations based around the city of Christchurch.
“This aircraft represents the evolution of the transport eco system to one that responds to a global challenge around traffic and congestion, and is kinder to the planet,” Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel said.
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Strangely, I do not see the home of these nuns as hoarding of land. It is their home and gardens and as they seldom venture beyond it’s walls then yes it is their garden for enjoyment. Do we really need to have blocks of apartments everywhere, are there no green spaces to be left? The green party only this week suggested we need these spaces to prevent flooding as large urban sprawl is contributing to flooding. Are all residential homes including nursing homes to be denied the necessity of gardens to allow residents some respite , there is no going back once the blocks of apartments are built but we need these green spaces , we will be sorry when they are gone.
@Eileen Kelly: we’ll just ignore the fact that we’ve needed housing badly for the last ten years and it’s only getting worse
@Martin Mongan: Perhaps what is really ignored is that the FGFF government did away with building social housing by the councils and focussed on private development to meet this need when it was apparent that this would not work. No point in blaming those with properties that were swallowed up with urban sprawl, most of these properties were in the ‘country’ so to speak 50 years ago, just look at all the farmland that has disappeared in north and south Dublin. Nothing but development in north Dublin, all the glasshouses , fruit fields and market gardens are gone. People need green spaces as well as housing, one should not be at the expense of the other, proper planning is needed.
@Eileen Kelly: We need thousands of apartments in urban areas with all the services urban areas can provide like, water, electricity, parks, amenities, schools, public transport etc. Basically if everyone lives in the countryside then the countryside doesn’t exist anymore. Suburbs and one off houses have ruined this country and it’s one of the reasons both houses, transport and all our services are so ridiculously expensive here compared to every other EU country. 66.5% of Spanish live in apartments compared to just 6% of Irish people.
@Maurice F Glennon: We are getting thousands of apartments, you should visit Airton rd/Belgard rd and see the massive apartment blocks that are coming to fruition, across the road the land is zoned for more apartments the length of the street. Behind these premises the Cookstown area is also zoned for apartments but there are no plans for new schools or facilities to balance this development. In Clondalkin/Lucan a whole new town is being built Clonburris which will house in excess of 23,000 people. Everywhere you look , you see apartment blocks but we still need green spaces and infrastructure , there is only one line for the luas track into Dublin city and one line out. All these apartment blocks will simply add to overcrowded amenities which host communities have developed over decades due to bad planning and neglect by councils and locating all development largely in Clondalkin/Tallaght /Finglas .
@Eileen Kelly: I’m sorry but this is exactly the sort of thing this tax was brought in for. Things change especially in a city. There is no one stopping them leaving their land to avail of everything else in the vicinity. The best thing they can do is change that address from Blackrock to Still organ because let’s face it nothing on that side of N11 is Blackrock. That should knock a few million off the site, 3% of less.
@TheGood Feign: Why should anyone have to leave their home because of taxation, forcing people out of the only life they know. Change is not always for the better and no one should be taxed out of their home. I very much doubt the hoarding tax was to be applied to residences with large gardens, really….bad enough they put a tax on our homes after paying tax , stamp duty and mortgages, tax on tax on tax.
The Catholic church is the biggest landowner on the planet and has the biggest private art collection in the world. They’ll have no problem helping their “sisters” out I’m sure
@Art Vandelay: actually King Charles is ;-)
@Jason Ebbs: You are correct, Charles and the royal family own 6.6 billion acres of land.
@Art Vandelay: the Vatican won’t give a cent, they just take
Carmelite? Are they like regular Carmels, but just less fattening?
@William Tallon: Brilliant comment
It seems like a nasty, mean decision.
The nuns have some green space to walk around and enjoy a bit of tranquility.
But all the spiritually bereft people in An Bord Pleanala can see is housing potential.
@Nestor: 4 nuns, probably all quite elderly and not walking a huge amount.
Good. No reason why they should be exempted.
Good old journal, always opened for the church and religion bashing comments
I did know one girl who was put there by her parents in early 80,s.it was a one stop shop. No coming out, vows of silence, no access to outside world. Maybe its different now but then it sounded horrific.
What about the families that own thousands of acres of Irish land. Does nobody ask them to give up a few hundred acres for social housing. No blame the Catholic church for all of Irelands ills
@: The church owns so much land because of all the taxes Irish people had to pay to it over the centuries and because they emotionally blackmailed people with assets into leaving them to it so they could go to heaven. That’s a scam.
An Bord Pleanala are nothing only a shower of w anchors
@Mary Toilet: Have you been disinfected lately? You’re certainly clean round the bend.
Just do an audit of the current social housing stock and you’ll find a huge percentage of the properties suitable for families occupied by an individual. Social housing can’t be an intergenerational cheap house forever, it doesn’t make sense.
If they pay the hoarding tax, the land will still not be available for development. How much land is involved anyway? I could build a house in my garden. Could I also be liable for hoarding tax?
Tax the Church!
@Frodo Rui: in order to do that you would have to remove the tax exemption of all charities as it would be unconstitutional to tax one of them.
@Brendan Greene: @Brendan Greene: Not necessarily.
Just applying to be a charity should not automatically grant the right to charitable status.
Creation of criteria that charities must meet could be used to remove charitable status from some bodies/institutions.
Treat them to some time in the real world while you’re at it.
Cpo and send them back to rome where they belong
The Irish State should confiscate all churches, schools and lands.
Irish citizens have paid for them multiple times over centuries.
Some of the land could be used to build social housing and any sold for private use should fund the victims of church abuse.
@Pat the Baker: I think there is a case to put a lien on all Church property, and when the current occupiers die off the property reverts to the state.
It all came from the people anyway.
The Curch should have all their Iirsh assets frozen, they then should then be sold to pay for the mother-baby atrocities. Time they were gone.
@Thesaltyurchin: You should do a spellcheck before posting a comment!
Wonder if there’s Skeletons there !
@Jimmy Wallace: This is the main point I keep making about this situation how on earth have they not even threatened this action when they refuse to pay reparations for the barbaric treatment they dished out to so many on this island?.. utterly ridiculous
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