Google Money Going To Pilot-less Aircraft

Google co-founder Larry Page's foray into autonomous flight is gearing up. The program, through Page's presumably well funded start-up Kitty Hawk, is focused now on the tilt-thrust, multi-rotor craft known as Cora, which Kitty Hawk's New Zealand arm, called Zephyr, is developing. Cora is all electric and makes use of a dozen tiltable wing-mounted props (three on both the leading and trailing edges of each side). Much of the forward thrust is via a single, rear-mounted electric motor driving a pusher prop. The other twelve motors transition from vertical to forward flight. Cora can fly as fast as 93 mph with a range of around 55 nm. The craft is intended to carry two non-pilots aloft and to their destination. The ;project will offer an air ride hailing app, so customers can summon Cora, or one of her offspring, right from their phones.