In a viral IBM commercial from 2000, actor Avery Brooks ranted about having reached a new millennium without the flying cars that most science fiction writers and inventors had promised. Well, with Google founder Larry Paige-funded Kitty Hawk – named for the location of the Wright Brothers’ fhaving arrived, so to speak, we might be one step closer to having that promise realised.

In a new video, which is part advertisement and part preview footage, the Kitty Hawk flying vehicle, a commercial version of which will be available by the end of 2017, can be seen flying over water. It’s described by the company as an all-electric vehicle that does not require a pilot’s licence to operate and has been designed to run only over water.

Of course, the genuine flying car is still some way away. In a bid not to run into trouble with air safety authorities, the machine is only meant for a joyride and not as a means of transport. However, the company has said that other versions are in the works, which will have more capabilities.