80 Vol. 10 / No. 5 / May 2018 Global Aviator
Aircraft launches 2018
Cora began as a dream.
An air taxi so personal
and so simple it could
take the trips you make
every day, the ones that
define our lives, and
bring them to the sky.After eight years
of tackling some of the
biggest challenges in
aviation, that dream is one
step closer. Cora isn’t just
about flying. Cora is about
the time you could save
soaring over traffic. The
people you could visit. Themoments that move you.
Cora was designed with
the planet in mind from day
one. It’s part of the electric
revolution that’s leading
us to a sustainable future.
And with the power to rise
above the road, Cora will
help ease the pressure traffic
places on all our lives.
Kitty Hawk, who
introduced the leisure-
focused Flyer last year, has
revealed an all-electric,
self-piloted air taxi in New
Zealand. The company
has been working on the
aircraft since 2010 and the
end result is Cora – a two-
seater short hop aircraft
that can lift off and land
like a helicopter and flies
forward like an airplane.
The first self-piloted
hover of Kitty Hawk's flying
taxi prototype took place at
the end of 2011, but it was
only in February 2014 that
vertical take-off and forward
flight was achieved. A
human test pilot took control
of the proof of concept
flyer in August 2017 and,
after reaching agreements
for the development and
testing of the project with
the government of New
Zealand in October 2017,
the first self-flying air
taxi was shipped over.
Flight tests soon
followed under an
experimental airworthiness
certificate from the NewKitty Hawk's Cora self-flying air taxi for two
has officially launched in New Zealand
Zealand Civil Aviation
Authority and the United
States Federal Aviation
Administration. The
project has now officially
been launched.
"Cora isn't just about
flying. It's about people
and mobility. It's about
the time you could save
soaring over traffic. The
friends you could visit.
The opportunities you
could seize. Cora is about
giving everyone a fast and
easy way to get around
that doesn't come at the
expense of the planet
says the company."
The developers are
to ensure that everything
works exactly as it
should before going into
production and making
Cora available to service
operators only. The
aircraft will not be sold
to private individuals.
Cora has been designed
for two passengers and can
operate using self-flying
software, and features
three flight computers
that make sure the aircraft
knows where it is at all
times, each able to work
on its own to safeguard
against systems failure.
It will not be necessary
for one of the passengers
to have a pilot's license.
Twelve wing-based
propellers enable vertical
lift off and the aircraft
moves forward with
the help of a single
prop at the rear. Each
of the wing rotors can
operate independently,
so if one fails it won't
have an adverse effect
on the operation of the
remaining working units.
Should power cut out
during flight, a parachute
will be launched to
allow it to land safely.
According to Kitty
Hawk Cora can fly up
to 915 m, has a range of
about 100 km per charge,
and will be capable of
getting up to 180 km/h. •