THE FUTURE OF FLIGHT

VSS Unity GOOGLE co-founder Larry Page is working on a protype aircraft called the Kitty Hawk. The electric aircraft looks like a flying jetski and is a single rider electric octocopter. It is classified as an ultralight aircraft with the Federal Aviation Administration in the USA and will not require a pilot’s licence to operate. SEE VIDEO: BIT.LY/2E9D4Y7 BOEING'S expanding ambitions include the development of a new jet-powered hypersonic aircraft for surveillance or military use. A recently unveiled concept design yet unnamed could potentially travel at five times the speed of sound (Mach 5) 6174 km/h. In contrast a Boeing 787 Dreamliner passenger jet has a cruising speed of around Boeing's hypersonic concept Lockheed Martin's SR-72

LEARN MORE: BOEING: BIT.LY/2GTGOIT LOCKHEED MARTIN: LMT.CO/2EAVDJH UNTIL recently, flying cars have existed primarily in the realm of science fiction. The promise of the flying car has finally arrived with dozens of start-up companies around the world fully focused on developing the next generation of air transportation vehicles.

Photos: Neva Aerospace The AirQuadOne was presented at the International Paris Air Show last year. AirQuadOne is a fully-electric vehicle that can reach speeds up to 80km/h. The vertical takeoff aircraft can reach an altitude of just over 900 metres and can carry payloads up to 100kg. Both manned and unmanned versions have been developed to fly for a maximum of 30 minutes. Manufacturing company Neva Aerospace is now working with regulators to obtain light aircraft certification so that the vehicle can be used for search and rescue, recreational flights, aerobatics, patrol and defence, transportation, robotic maintenance, and personal air taxis. LEARN MORE: WWW.NEVA-AERO.COM SAN Francisco-based designer Luca Iaconi-Stewart took 10,000 hours to complete a project he initiated in high school. Using manila folders, he created a complete 1:60 scale model of an Air India Boeing 777 jet. Many of the elements of the model plane are functional, including folding seats and sliding doors. The ambitious project was a titanic undertaking which did not deter him from undertaking his latest project, the construction of a 1:20 scale model of a Singapore Airlines A380.

SEE PHOTOS: BIT.LY/1GZLOBP YOUTUBE: BIT.LY/1I6IRH0 Luca IaconiStewart made a model plane out of manila folders

903 km/h. Imagine being able to circle the globe in three hours. Competitor Lockheed Martin is also developing the SR-72 aircraft which is the successor to the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane, the fastest plane to ever exist.