A Boeing Co. flying car designed to fly passengers over congested city streets and dodge skyscrapers has completed its first test flight, offering a peek into the future of urban transportation the aerospace giant and others are seeking to reshape.
A prototype of its autonomous passenger air vehicle completed a controlled takeoff, hover and landing during the test conducted in Manassas, Virginia, the maker of military and commercial jets said in a statement.
Propelled by electricity, the model is designed for fully autonomous flight, with a range of as much as 50 miles, Boeing said.
The Chicago-based planemaker and arch-rival Airbus SE are among a slew of companies racing to stake a claim on flying cars and parcel-hauling drones, which have the potential to be the next disruption to sweep the aerospace industry. Boeing’s push was boosted by a 2017 acquisition of Aurora Flight Sciences, whose projects include a new flying taxi it is developing with Uber Technologies Inc.
Boeing’s urban air mobility arm, Boeing NeXt, enlisted Aurora to design and develop the prototype. The company didn’t say if the model is the one being developed for Uber. Boeing NeXt’s portfolio also includes a fully electric cargo air vehicle — designed to transport as much as 500 pounds — which completed its first indoor flight last year and is slated for outdoor testing this year.
Future flights of the 30-feet-long and 28-feet-wide PAV prototype will test forward, wing-borne flight and the transition phase between vertical and forward-flight modes, according to the Boeing statement. The company will also continue testing to advance safety and reliability of the aircraft, it said.
