Boeing successfully completed the first test flight of its\nautonomous passenger air vehicle (PAV) prototype in Manassas, Virginia. Boeing\nNeXt, which leads the company’s urban air mobility efforts, utilized Boeing\nsubsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences to design and develop the electric vertical\ntakeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and will continue testing to advance the\nsafety and reliability of on-demand autonomous air transportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The PAV prototype completed a controlled takeoff, hover and\nlanding during the flight, which tested the vehicle’s autonomous functions and\nground control systems. Future flights will test forward, wing-borne flight, as\nwell as the transition phase between vertical and forward-flight modes. This\ntransition phase is typically the most significant engineering challenge for\nany high-speed VTOL aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“In one year, we have progressed from a conceptual\ndesign to a flying prototype,” said Boeing Chief Technology Officer Greg\nHyslop. “Boeing’s expertise and innovation have been critical in\ndeveloping aviation as the world’s safest and most efficient form of\ntransportation, and we will continue to lead with a safe, innovative and\nresponsible approach to new mobility solutions.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Powered by an electric propulsion system, the PAV prototype\nis designed for fully autonomous flight from takeoff to landing, with a range\nof up to 50 miles (80.47 kilometers). Measuring 30 feet (9.14 meters) long and\n28 feet (8.53 meters) wide, its advanced airframe integrates the propulsion and\nwing systems to achieve efficient hover and forward flight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This is what revolution looks like, and it’s because\nof autonomy,” said John Langford, president and chief executive officer of\nAurora Flight Sciences. “Certifiable autonomy is going to make quiet,\nclean and safe urban air mobility possible.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The test flight represents the latest milestone for Boeing\nNeXt. The division works with regulatory agencies and industry partners to lead\nthe responsible introduction of a new mobility ecosystem and ensure a future\nwhere autonomous and piloted air vehicles safely coexist. In addition to the\nPAV, the Boeing NeXt portfolio includes an unmanned fully electric cargo air\nvehicle (CAV) designed to transport up to 500 pounds (226.80 kilograms) and\nother urban, regional and global mobility platforms. The CAV completed its\nfirst indoor flight last year and will transition to outdoor flight testing in\n2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Boeing was there when the aviation industry was born\nand in our second century, we will unlock the potential of the urban air\nmobility market,” said Steve Nordlund, vice president and general manager\nof Boeing NeXt. “From building air vehicles to airspace integration, we\nwill usher in a future of safe, low-stress mobility in cities and regions\naround the world.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading\nmanufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems. A\ntop U.S. exporter, the company supports airlines and U.S. and allied government\ncustomers in more than 150 countries. Boeing products and tailored services\ninclude commercial and military aircraft, satellites, weapons, electronic and\ndefense systems, launch systems, advanced information and communication\nsystems, and performance-based logistics and training.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Boeing successfully completed the first test flight of its autonomous passenger air vehicle (PAV) prototype in Manassas, Virginia. Boeing NeXt, which leads the company’s urban air mobility efforts, utilized Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences to design and develop the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and will continue testing to advance the safety and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11721,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116,64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-front-page-slider","category-virginia"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boeing.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11720"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11722,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11720\/revisions\/11722"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}