Login | Register

Register|Lost your password?

Shopping Cart

Need Help?

We reply to all questions within

24 h

We offer support to our customers
Mon - Fri 10:00am - 4:00pm (GMT+10)

Contact Details

Our address:

Just Drones
14-16 Fitzroy Street
St Kilda VIC 3182
Australia

Have any questions?

info@justdrones.com.au

Call us:

1300 759 359

  • 1300 759 359
  • info@justdrones.com.au

Just-Drones-Logo-StandardJust-Drones-Logo-StandardJust DronesJust-Drones-Logo-Standard

  • Home
  • Store
    • Aerial Photography
    • Fishing & Waterproof
    • FPV Racing
    • Hobby
    • Professional
  • Services
  • Repairs
  • Classifieds
  • News
  • Blog
  • Contact
0
Drones in Agriculture: Undeniable Value and Plenty of Growth
March 13, 2018
PlexiDrone Promise Deliveries to Begin March 2018 – Well Access to a Delivery Portal
March 13, 2018
Show all

New Zealand Chosen for Kitty Hawk Cora Air Taxi Service.

Eight years in the making and with some very funky looking propellers. Apparently flying in New Zealand since October of 2017. A big separate lift thrust (SLT) chuck out the people and deliver meaningful amounts of stuff!

Sebastian Thrum was the founder of X (previously Google X) and now is CEO of Kitty Hawk, has teamed up with Fred Reid, CEO of Zephyr Airworks, Kitty Hawk’s operator in New Zealand. Fred was the founding CEO of Virgin America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeFxjRMv5U8&

The reason for rolling out in NZ was I thought compelling, almost pointing out to the FAA that America is lagging behind. Amazon is testing in the UK and Google are already flying trial deliveries in Australia. All those expensive test sites and the development is still shipping out overseas. I wonder if that other elephant in the room, ITAR is also an issue.

A very exciting project that I can see being of use in Air Autonomous 😉

America in the early 20th century of the Wright Brothers was a hotbed of invention and discovery. The Model T. The first Flyer. Even the electric guitar. We needed a place that was just as bold and dynamic in order to bring Cora to the commercial market.

A place that could be more than just a willing airfield. That had a world-class reputation in certification and regulation. And a government and society with an eye to the horizon. Whose people could be the first to experience the benefits of what we had come to call everyday flight. A true partner.

We quickly realized that there was only one place in the world that had everything we needed — Richard Pearse’s New Zealand. New Zealand’s Central Aviation Authority has the respect of the worldwide regulatory community. A people who embrace the future. And a dynamic economy that could serve as a springboard for Cora.

But would they be interested? Would they care about our dream?

What we didn’t know was that New Zealand was also on a quest. They had already built one of the world’s most sustainable energy ecosystems –– with 80% of the country powered by renewable energy. And now they were looking to harness the benefits of the electric mobility revolution.

Finally, the dreamers from California met the visionaries from New Zealand. Zephyr CEO, Fred Reid, remembers the moment, “We had no idea what to expect. They could have laughed us out of the room. We were pitching something that sounded like science fiction.”

But Dr Peter Crabtree of New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) saw the opportunity immediately. “In New Zealand, we know we can’t keep using the same old approaches to meet our future challenges. We saw Cora’s potential as a sustainable, efficient and transformative technology that can enrich people’s lives, not only in New Zealand, but ultimately the whole world.”

What emerged was a deeper partnership than we had ever imagined. Together with MBIE, New Zealand’s Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority were willing to work with us. And we discovered amazing communities like the City of Christchurch that were willing to engage with us about a future where the freedom of flight belongs to everyone.

We had found a home. A community who shared our vision of a better world. Of a life where the sky connects us to the people and places that matter most. Even though we were at the very beginning of a long journey, things were looking up.

We had found our Kitty Hawk.

Company Name: Kitty Hawk Corporation is a California-based company. Zephyr Airworks is the operator of Kitty Hawk in New Zealand.

Headquarters: Mountain View, California

Kitty Hawk CEO: Sebastian Thrun

Zephyr Airworks CEO: Fred Reid

Product Name: Cora (prototype)

Type of Machine: Air taxi

Power: All-electric

Capacity: Designed for two passengers.

Altitude: Operates between 500 ft to 3000 ft above the ground.

Wingspan: 36 feet/about 11 meters

Vertical take-off and landing: Cora is powered by 12 independent lift fans, which enable her to take off and land vertically like a helicopter. Therefore, Cora has no need for a runway.

Fixed wing flight: On a single propeller.

Range: Initially about 62 miles / about 100 kilometres.

Speed: About 110 miles per hour / about 180 kilometres per hour.

Regulation: Cora has an experimental airworthiness certificate from both the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). We are working with the CAA on further certification goals to bring an air taxi service to the commercial market.

Gary Mortimer
Gary Mortimer

Related posts

New DJI FPV Drone
February 25, 2021

Likely New DJI FPV Drone Launches March 2


Read more
Drone Commerical
February 22, 2021

An Interesting Way Drones Can Help Outdoor Businesses During Coronavirus


Read more
dji-mavic-air-2
February 3, 2021

DJI Care Refresh Flyaway Coverage: Is It Worth It?


Read more

Shopping Cart

Search

Our Company

Whatever you call them, quads, quadcopters, quadrocopters, quadricopters, multirotors, multicopters, UAVs or simply drones, we think they're amazing. We build them, we fly them, we live them.

Our range has been carefully selected to offer drones that are 'best of breed' and provide a fun and easy entry into the world of UAVs.

Latest posts

  • New DJI FPV Drone0
    Likely New DJI FPV Drone Launches March 2
    February 25, 2021
  • Drone Commerical0
    An Interesting Way Drones Can Help Outdoor Businesses During Coronavirus
    February 22, 2021
  • dji-mavic-air-20
    DJI Care Refresh Flyaway Coverage: Is It Worth It?
    February 3, 2021

Blog Archives

Our Drones

  • iFlight ProTek35 HD CineWhoop iFlight ProTek35 with DJI Air Unit $575 – $1920
  • iFlight TITAN H3 iFlight TITAN H3 with DJI Air Unit $540 – $1890
  • DJI Mini 2 4K Camera Drone DJI Mini 2 $749 – $949
  • iFlight TITAN XL5 DJI Digital FPV Air Unit GPS iFlight TITAN XL5 with DJI Air Unit and GPS $699 – $2043
  • iFlight BumbleBee 142mm 3 Inch 4S CineWhoop FPV Racing Drone iFlight BumbleBee with DJI Air Unit $695 – $2163
  • MJX Bugs 5W 4K FPV GPS Quadcopter MJX Bugs 5W 4K GPS Wi-Fi FPV Quadcopter $424
  • DJI Mavic Air 2 DJI Mavic Air 2 $1499 – $1899
  • iFlight DC3 Quad w DJI Digital HD FPV System iFlight DC3 with DJI Air Unit $667 – $2135
  • iFlight TITAN DC5 with DJI Air Unit BNF iFlight TITAN DC5 with DJI Air Unit $655 – $1999
  • DJI Mavic Mini DJI Mavic Mini $599 – $799
Australia's best range of drones are all here at JUST DRONES

Free Shipping

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic please allow up to an additional 3 business days from the Estimated Delivery Date.

  • Free shipping in Australia.
  • All orders processed within 24hrs.
  • Delivery within 2-10 working days.
  • We ship with Australia Post.

Security Guaranteed

Shop with confidence. Your order is safe and secure. Just Drones utilises an SSL Certificate to ensure our store is safe and all transactions are handled by PayPal or your humm account.


Payment Methods

Office Hours

Monday to Friday

10.00am - 4.00pm
By Appointment Only

Saturday & Sunday

Closed

Public Holidays

Closed

Know Your Drone Safety Advocate

Contact Us

Our address:

Just Drones
14-16 Fitzroy Street
St Kilda VIC 3182
Australia

Have any questions?

info@justdrones.com.au

Call us:

1300 759 359

© 2014 - 2021 Just Drones | All Rights Reserved | ABN 69 935 192 795 | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Returns & Refunds | humm - Buy Now Pay Later