Update: In a world-first, two guys compete in flying racing cars
Philippine inventor, Kyxz Mendiola unveiled a passenger drone. He calls it a flying sports car that represents the future of transportation. He drove it out of a warehouse and took off among a cheering crowd, leaving them all in a cloud of dust.
Passenger drone ‘worked perfect’
Kyxz Mendiola, a former dancer, and a camera operator turned into a drone inventor and introduced his flying sports car to a cheering crowd. The passenger drone took off in a cloud of dust and hovered for a few minutes. It is powered by similar technology as you find in modern small consumer drones. According to Reuters, Mendiola said after his first public test flight that:
“It was amazing. All the hard work paid off. Everything worked perfect.”
The ‘Koncepto Milenya’
The passenger drone is officially called the ‘Koncepto Milenya’. It can fly as high as 20 feet and as fast as 37 mph. Its initial public test flight lasted a little over ten minutes.
Mendiola said it had taken a long time to save up for all the components he needed. Especially the six lithium-ion batteries that power the single seater drone were expensive. The “Koncepto Milenya” can carry up to 220 lbs and could potentially save hours on trips in busy cities like Manilla. Mendiola said:
“When we have to go somewhere about an hour’s drive, this can take you there in five minutes,” he said.
The initial test flight
The initial public flight took place in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to Mendiola, the drone is easy to fly:
“Press a button and it will go up, then push the stick forward, it goes forward. It’s very smart, that’s why I’m saying it has a lot of potential.”
The passenger drone has 16 rotary motors and can keep flying even if two of those rotors would fail, according to the inventor. Since a video of the drone went viral on social media channels, an Australian company, Star8 is now partnering with Mendiola. Star8’s Chief Executive Jacob Maimon has plans to mass produce the drone and start selling it in Australia, Europe, and Hong Kong. He said that the company could help Mendiola and that they “will get there very fast now.”
Related articles
- Audi and Airbus work together on a passenger drone/electric car hybrid
- “Everything is perfect. I guess, it’s time.” says the creator of the first African passenger drone before taking off
- A new two-seater electric VTOL manned aircraft launches in burgeoning passenger drone industry
- Flying taxi on track to make debut flight in 2018 according to Airbus
- Ehang sends company officials for test flights in Ehang 184 taxi-drone
- Drone taxi debuts at World Internet Conference Expo in China
- Porsche is looking to develop taxi drone according to German report
- Volocopter VC200 2X made its maiden flight in North America during CES 2018
- Dubai aims to be first city with flying drone taxis
- Workhorse Surefly taxi drone flight canceled due to drizzle at CES 2018
- Bell Helicopter and Uber show taxi drone at CES 2018
- Cora is a personal ‘sky Uber drone’ backed by Google’s Larry Page and Sebastian Thrun, announces 2021 New Zealand launch plan
STAY IN TOUCH and support DRONEDJ
If you’d like to stay up to date with all the latest drone news, scoops, rumors and reviews, then follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or sign up for our email newsletter DroneRise, that goes out every weekday morning at 6 am.
Buy your next drone through directly from manufacturers, such as DJI, Parrot, Yuneec or retailers like Amazon, B&H, BestBuy or eBay. By using our links, we will make a small commission, but it will not cost you anything extra. Thank you for helping DroneDJ grow!
Photo: Reuters / Eloisa Lopez
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments