Kitty Hawk Corporation
Kitty Hawk Corporation was a United States aircraft manufacturer focused on electric ultralight aircraft and autonomous electric air-taxi concepts.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Kitty Hawk Corporation was a privately funded American aviation company that developed electric aircraft, including an ultralight vehicle known as Flyer and the autonomous electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft concept that became Cora and later Wisk Cora. The business began in 2010 under the name Zee.Aero and was supported by Larry Page, the Google co-founder. Its work formed part of the early effort to develop practical electric and autonomous aircraft for short-distance transportation. The company's development strategy covered several different aircraft formats. Flyer was an electric ultralight designed around eight battery-powered propellers. It was intended to operate under the United States Federal Aviation Regulations Part 103 ultralight framework, meaning that a pilot license was not required for the aircraft as described in the company's program. Engineering leadership for Flyer included Cameron Robertson and Todd Reichert. A production version was presented publicly in June 2018. Kitty Hawk reported a combined total of 25,000 unmanned and crewed flights using 111 aircraft before ending the Flyer program in June 2020. Chief executive Sebastian Thrun said the company had not found a viable business path for Flyer. A second major line of work was Cora, an autonomous electric personal air vehicle and air-taxi prototype. Kitty Hawk had been testing Cora in New Zealand since March 2018. In 2019, the Cora program was separated into a joint venture involving Boeing. The venture was subsequently branded Wisk Aero, and the aircraft became known as Wisk Cora. This transaction or restructuring allowed the Cora technology effort to continue separately even as Kitty Hawk later reduced its own activities. Kitty Hawk also developed Heaviside, an electric aircraft designed with an emphasis on reduced noise compared with conventional aircraft. The original Heaviside aircraft was introduced in 2019, followed by a second iteration called H2, or Heaviside 2, in 2022. These programs reflected the company's broader focus on quiet, electrically powered personal and urban aviation rather than conventional commercial aircraft manufacturing. In September 2022, Kitty Hawk announced that it was winding down its operations. The company’s closure did not end the Cora-related effort, because the Boeing-backed Wisk Aero joint venture was continuing independently. Kitty Hawk therefore occupies a transitional place in electric aviation history: it did not become a mass-market aircraft producer, but its programs contributed to the development of electric ultralight and autonomous air-taxi concepts.
History
Kitty Hawk Corporation originated in 2010 as Zee.Aero, an aviation venture supported by Larry Page, the co-founder of Google. The company was established during an early phase of renewed interest in electric propulsion, autonomous flight, and urban air mobility. Rather than pursuing conventional fixed-wing aircraft manufacturing, it investigated compact aircraft that could potentially provide short-distance personal or on-demand transportation with lower noise and reduced direct emissions. One of the company's best-known projects was Flyer, an electric ultralight aircraft using eight battery-powered propellers. Cameron Robertson and Todd Reichert led engineering work associated with the program. The aircraft was developed to fit within the United States Part 103 ultralight regulatory category, under which the aircraft could be operated without a pilot license as described by the program. Kitty Hawk introduced the production Flyer in June 2018. The project attracted attention because it attempted to demonstrate a relatively simple form of personal electric flight rather than immediately targeting a certified commercial airliner or air taxi. Kitty Hawk ultimately concluded that Flyer did not offer a viable business path. The program was closed on June 3, 2020, after the company reported a combined total of 25,000 unmanned and crewed flights involving 111 aircraft. The decision illustrated the difficulty of turning experimental electric-aircraft demonstrations into a sustainable product business. Battery limitations, regulatory constraints, operating requirements, market size, and the challenge of achieving attractive economics all affected the prospects of small personal aircraft, although the available reference material does not quantify the individual effect of those factors. The company's other major aviation effort was Cora, an autonomous electric personal air vehicle prototype. Kitty Hawk had been testing Cora in New Zealand since March 2018. Cora represented a more ambitious air-mobility model than Flyer: it combined electric propulsion with autonomous operation and was associated with an air-taxi concept. In 2019, the Cora program was separated from Kitty Hawk through a joint venture with Boeing. By December 2019, the team had been rebranded and spun off as Wisk Aero, and the aircraft became known as Wisk Cora. The Cora work therefore continued under a separate corporate structure rather than being abandoned with the later Kitty Hawk wind-down. Kitty Hawk also pursued quieter electric aircraft through the Heaviside program. The first Heaviside was introduced in 2019 and was designed to produce less noise than normal aircraft. In 2022, the company showed a second iteration called H2, or Heaviside 2. The progression from Flyer to Heaviside indicates a shift from a simple ultralight demonstration toward more advanced aircraft concepts, while the Cora separation placed the autonomous air-taxi work into a dedicated venture with Boeing involvement. In September 2022, Kitty Hawk announced that it was winding down. The announcement marked the end of the company as an independent operating aviation developer, although Wisk Aero continued as a separate joint venture. Kitty Hawk's history is consequently best understood as that of an experimental electric-aircraft company whose programs explored several approaches to advanced air mobility. Its public legacy rests on the Flyer demonstrations, the Cora-to-Wisk transition, and the quieter Heaviside aircraft family.
- 2022
Heaviside 2 is introduced
[1]Kitty Hawk introduces the second Heaviside iteration, known as H2.
- 2022
Company winds down
[1]Kitty Hawk announces that it is winding down while the Wisk Aero joint venture continues.
- 2020
Flyer program ends
[1]Kitty Hawk ends Flyer after reporting 25,000 combined unmanned and crewed flights with 111 aircraft.
- 2019
Heaviside is introduced
[1]The company introduces Heaviside, an electric aircraft designed with reduced noise as a stated objective.
- 2019
Cora is spun off into Wisk Aero
[1]The Cora program is moved into a Boeing-backed joint venture that becomes Wisk Aero.
- 2018
Cora testing begins in New Zealand
[1]Kitty Hawk tests its autonomous electric Cora air-taxi prototype in New Zealand.
- 2018
Production Flyer is introduced
[1]Kitty Hawk presents the production version of its eight-propeller electric ultralight aircraft.
- 2010
Zee.Aero is founded
[1]The company begins as Zee.Aero, an aviation venture supported by Larry Page.
Products and positioning
An advanced-air-mobility developer focused on quiet electric propulsion, ultralight aircraft, autonomous flight, and short-distance air transportation.
Electric ultralight aircraft · 2018
Kitty Hawk Flyer
Flyer was a battery-powered ultralight aircraft kept aloft by eight electric propellers. It was developed under the United States FAR Part 103 ultralight framework, so a pilot license was not required under the stated operating category. The production version was introduced in June 2018. Kitty Hawk ended the program in June 2020 after reporting 25,000 combined unmanned and crewed flights involving 111 aircraft, citing the absence of a viable business path.
Autonomous electric air-taxi prototype · 2018
Cora
Cora was an autonomous electric personal air-vehicle prototype tested by Kitty Hawk in New Zealand from March 2018. The project targeted short-distance air-taxi and advanced-air-mobility use cases. In 2019, the program was separated into a joint venture involving Boeing, and the team was rebranded as Wisk Aero. The aircraft subsequently became known as Wisk Cora.
Quiet electric aircraft · 2019
Kitty Hawk Heaviside
Heaviside was an electric aircraft introduced by Kitty Hawk in 2019. The design was presented as being quieter than ordinary aircraft, reflecting the company's interest in reducing the acoustic impact of future personal and urban aviation. The available reference material does not establish a commercial production launch or certification outcome.
Electric aircraft prototype · 2022
Kitty Hawk H2 (Heaviside 2)
H2 was identified as the second iteration of the Heaviside aircraft family and was introduced in 2022. It continued Kitty Hawk's focus on electric aircraft and quieter operation. No evidence in the supplied reference material indicates that H2 entered series production or commercial service.
Brand decisions
2022
Wind down Kitty Hawk operationsStrategyBackground
After pursuing electric ultralight, autonomous air-taxi, and quiet electric-aircraft programs, Kitty Hawk announced that it was ending its independent operations.
Action taken
The company announced a wind-down in September 2022.
Aftermath
The Wisk Aero joint venture with Boeing continued separately despite the Kitty Hawk wind-down.
2020
End the Flyer programStrategyBackground
Flyer had completed a reported 25,000 combined unmanned and crewed flights using 111 aircraft, but the company concluded that the program did not have a viable business path.
Action taken
Kitty Hawk discontinued Flyer on June 3, 2020.
Aftermath
The company concentrated its remaining public development narrative on other electric and autonomous aircraft efforts, including Heaviside and the Cora-related Wisk venture.
2019
Separate the Cora program into a Boeing-backed ventureM&ABackground
Cora was an autonomous electric aircraft project being tested in New Zealand and represented a distinct air-taxi development effort.
Action taken
Kitty Hawk moved the Cora team and program into a joint venture with Boeing, which was subsequently branded Wisk Aero.
Aftermath
Cora continued under Wisk Aero and became known as Wisk Cora, while Kitty Hawk retained other aircraft development activities.
Recent events
- 2022
Kitty Hawk introduces Heaviside 2[1]
Product launch · Product generation
The company presented a second iteration of its Heaviside aircraft, designated H2.
- 2022
Kitty Hawk announces that it is winding down[1]
Other
Kitty Hawk announced that it was winding down its operations while the Wisk Aero joint venture continued.
- 2020
Kitty Hawk ends the Flyer program[1]
Product generation
After reporting 25,000 unmanned or crewed flights using 111 aircraft, Kitty Hawk discontinued Flyer because it had not identified a viable business model for the program.
- 2019
Cora program moves into a Boeing-backed Wisk Aero venture[1]
M&A
The Cora program was separated into a joint venture involving Boeing and was subsequently rebranded as Wisk Aero.
- 2019
Kitty Hawk introduces the Heaviside aircraft[1]
Product launch
Kitty Hawk introduced Heaviside, an electric aircraft designed to be quieter than conventional aircraft.
- 2018
Kitty Hawk presents the production Flyer[1]
Product launch
The company introduced the production version of its battery-powered Flyer ultralight aircraft.
- 2018
Kitty Hawk tests the Cora autonomous aircraft in New Zealand[1]
Other
Kitty Hawk was reported to be testing its autonomous electric Cora air-taxi prototype in New Zealand.
Sources5 sources
- 1Kitty Hawk Corporationen.wikipedia.org
- 2Kitty Hawk Corporation official websitekittyhawk.aero
- 3空中出租初创企业Kitty Hawk寻求收购3D Roboticsfinance.sina.com.cn
- 4AFWERX Agility Prime partners with Kitty Hawk in first medevac exercise with electric aircraftmiragenews.com
- 5Falck Partners With Kitty Hawk On Emergency Response Aircraftaero-news.net
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