The Boeing PAV (Autonomous Passenger Air Vehicle) completes the first flight

(To Boeing)
23/01/19

Boeing yesterday successfully completed the first test flight of its autonomous passenger air vehicle (PAV) prototype in Manassas, Virginia. Boeing NeXt, leader of the company's commitment to urban air mobility, used its subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences to design and develop the vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) electric aircraft and will continue testing to improve the safety and reliability of the autonomous air transport on demand.

The PAV prototype completed take-off, flight and landing, controlled during the flight, testing the aircraft's autonomous capabilities and ground control systems. Future flights will be used to test the long haul flight wing-borne and the transition phase between the vertical and forward-flight. This phase is usually the most significant engineering challenge for any VTOL aircraft high-speed.

"In a year, we went from conceptual design to flying prototype", Boeing Chief Technology Officer Greg Hyslop commented. "The Boeing experience and innovation have been fundamental in aeronautical development, as they represent the safest and most efficient form of transport in the world. We will continue to drive this development, with a secure, innovative and responsible approach to new mobility solutions ".

Equipped with an electric propulsion system, the PAV prototype is designed for totally autonomous flights from take-off to landing, with a range up to 50 miles (80,47 km). Long 9,14 meters and wide 8,53 meters, the aircraft has an advanced structure that integrates propulsion and wing systems to achieve an efficient flight.

"This is called revolution and is made possible by autonomy"said John Langford, president and chief executive officer of Aurora Flight Sciences. "The certifiable autonomy will allow for silent, clean and safe urban air mobility".

The test flights represent the last milestone for Boeing NeXt. The division works with regulatory agencies and industrial partners to advance the responsible introduction of a new mobility ecosystem and to ensure a future in which autonomous and piloted aircraft coexist. In addition to the PAV, the Boeing NeXt portfolio includes a CAV (unmanned fully electric cargo air vehicle) designed to carry up to about 227 kg and other urban, regional and global mobility platforms. The CAV completed its first indoor flight last year and will move into the outdoor flight phase in the 2019.

"Boeing was there when the aeronautics industry was born and we, in our second century of history, will release the full potential of the urban air transport market", said Steve Nordlund, vice president and general manager of Boeing NeXt. "From the construction of aircraft to the integration of the aerospace, we will immerse ourselves in a future of safe and low-stress mobility in the cities and countries of the world".