--- title: "Kitty Hawk’s Extremely Quiet Flying Car Has a 100-Mile Range" description: "Flying car startup Kitty Hawk has revealed Heaviside, an electric aircraft that's \"roughly 100 times quieter than a regular helicopter.\"" date: "2019-10-04" modified: "2019-10-04" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/kitty-hawk-flying-car-heaviside" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "flying taxi" - "kitty hawk" - "the digest" - "vtol" --- # Kitty Hawk’s Extremely Quiet Flying Car Has a 100-Mile Range ![Flying car startup Kitty Hawk has revealed Heaviside, an electric aircraft that's "roughly 100 times quieter than a regular helicopter."]() *\Image: Kitty Hawk\* ## Stealth VTOL Flying car startup Kitty Hawk [has revealed]() its third electric aircraft — and it can cover 160 kilometers (100 miles) while making almost no noise at all. Project Heaviside is a high-performance, single-seater aircraft that's capable of vertical take off and landing (VTOL), according to Kitty Hawk's [website](). The company claims the craft's electric propulsion system, tiny proportions, and aerodynamic shape make it "roughly 100 times quieter than a regular helicopter." https://youtu.be/q7mc3C19kE4 ## Not on the Heaviside While airborne, the Heaviside emits a mere [38 decibels]() — making it as loud as [a library]() or [babbling brook](). For comparison, a helicopter at the same altitude gives out closer to 80 decibels, about as much sound as a passing truck. According to Kitty Hawk, the VTOL can cover the 88 kilometers (55 miles) between San Jose and San Francisco in only 15 minutes while using "less than half the energy of a car." In a car, the commute takes closer to an hour. ## Looking Ahead The Heaviside is an impressive leap forward for Kitty Hawk, which is backed by Google co-founder Larry Page. However, the fact that the aircraft can only fit a single pilot is arguably a pretty severe limitation, suggesting that a future in which we all commute to work in personal flying taxis is still a number of years out. **READ MORE:** [Kitty Hawk says its third electric aircraft has a 100-mile range]() \[*The Verge*\] **More on Kitty Hawk:** *[The First Real Flying Car Is Open for Test Flights]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()