A flying car funded by Google co-owner Larry Page may have been spotted in California, with an aircraft belonging to the internet entrepreneur photographed in the Hollister airport.
Eye witnesses at the airport told Mercury News that the small aircraft performed a veritical take off, before hovering above the ground for a brief period of time and landing. Page has reportedly invested $100 million into the Mountain View start-up Zee.Aero, a company that has nine aircraft registered with the Federal Aviation Administration, with the company also having filed a patent for a “personal aircraft” that appears to be match the description of the mysterious vehicle spotted in Hollister.
According to witnesses a guard had prevented people from approaching the area surrounding the aircraft and taking photos, though employees of DK Turbines managed to take a few snapshots before it was wheeled away, one of which can be viewed in the below tweet:
Is this hovering aircraft Larry Page’s flying car? Google founder backs https://t.co/cYRDVjGMl5 startup. https://t.co/ivvtF6aNf5 pic.twitter.com/pUTil2Yucn
— Tom Bedecarre (@tombed) October 24, 2016
Considering Page had wanted to keep his involvement with Zee.Aero under wraps, it’s no surprise that the company has neglected to offer a comment on the photograph. Although it doesn’t much resemble a flying car as you’d imagine it, the vehicle is instead intended to be a personal aircraft that is small enough to fit in a garage, along with being easy enough to control that it can be flown with minimal training.
Zee.Aero’s patent details a small aircraft equipped with eight propellers along its roof in order for it take off, then two propellers on the rear wing to allow it to move forwards. Each propeller would be powered by a motor, with wings appearing on both its nose and tail. The vehicle photographed by the DK Turbines employees looks slightly different, with there seemingly being only one propeller situated on its rear, while the nose wings have been moved towards the aircraft’s doors.
If these reports from the DK Turbines employees are to be believed, then it appears that Zee.Aero is making incredible strides towards making this revolutionary technology a reality. However, we imagine Larry Page won’t be best pleased about the curtains being pulled back on his secret project.
