According to eyewitnesses, the aircraft looked like a tiny plane, and while hovering 25 feet above the ground, produced a sound comparable to that of a loud electric motor.
In another instance, Steve Eggleston, a DK Turbines manager, said he filmed the same aircraft being towed on the tarmac. The machine depicted in the photo has a single wing, with pod-like structures on the rear, leading him to believe it was Page’s flying car.
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) 24 октября 2016 г.
In 2010, Page launched Zee.Aero, a company aimed at constructing vehicles with vertical takeoff and landing capability, that could become “a revolutionary new form of transportation.” The firm hired engineers from the aerospace sector, including NASA, Boeing and SpaceX, and released images and information regarding their concept for an aircraft that doubles as an automobile.
According to patent imagery, the jet has wings on the nose and tail, as well as eight propellers driven by eight engines.
Google co-founder Larry Page's flying car company, https://t.co/cJML94QJXu, is seeking a 34-year lease at the Hollis…https://t.co/OujSKfuOzN
— Jacqueline Vanacek (@JacquelnVanacek) August 2, 2016
Larry Page's flying car company https://t.co/e4TWzZHwto has long-term plans in Hollister: https://t.co/ekbwXfMzIr pic.twitter.com/ngcXvTLzZa
— SVbizjournal (@SVbizjournal) August 1, 2016
Last May, the company sent a letter to US Department of Transportation revealing its plans to build an entirely new aircraft. The same month the firm, headquartered in Mountain View, California, rented space at Hollister Airport.
Page has reportedly poured some $100 million into the effort, and has attempted to keep it secret, but Bloomberg made the move public in June.
Recently, eight firms from various countries have announced plans to create flying cars. Apart from Page’s firms, companies from the US (Terrafugia), China (Aviation Industry Corporation of China), the Netherlands (PAL-V), Germany (e-volo and Carplane), and Slovakia (Aeromobil) are said to be preparing entries.
The aircraft-doubling-as-automobile is expected to cost anywhere from $200,000-$500,000 and could be available as soon as 2017.