The flying car is frustrating... and thrilling. Vaporware and dream at the same time. Most projects seem doomed to exist as eternal prototypes, waiting for technology to improve and become more economical. Perhaps the concept itself needs a military touch first, and that detail brings us to the CityHawk, a variant of the Cormorant drone (formerly AirMule) that will be able to carry four passengers and use liquid hydrogen as fuel.
When we talk about flying cars, the first feeling is that the future betrayed us. Some people think science fiction exaggerated (as so many other times) and we refuse to recognize it. However, the flying car is not impossible, but falls into the category of “extraordinarily difficult”. The flying car has the obligation to combine the advantages of two vehicles without sacrificing safety, whether in the air or on the asphalt. To the challenge of stability we must add autonomy, efficiency, weight, authorizations, certifications... the list goes on. For all these reasons, every time a promising prototype emerges, there are five to ten years of waiting at least. And the CityHawk is no exception.
The CityHawk
CityHawk is a design by Metro Skyway, a subsidiary of the Israeli company Urban Aeronautics. The latter name is known to us for the AirMule project, which we talked about in January 2010, and which now goes by the name Cormorant. One point in favor of the CityHawk is its VTOL configuration, which eliminates the need for a runway to take off. Artistic interpretations suggest a maximum capacity of four passengers, and according to official spokespersons, the plan is for the CityHawk to use liquid hydrogen as fuel in the future.
Specifications
Everything we can calculate regarding specifications for the CityHawk is derived from what we already know about the Cormorant: 185 kilometers per hour maximum speed, one hour of flight, autonomous functions, and a maximum load of 499 kilograms. When? It is assumed that the Cormorant will enter service before the end of the decade, but the CityHawk would arrive in the year 2022.
