Flying cars are almost here. Passenger Air Vehicle On Tuesday, aerospace company Boeing completed the first ever test flight of its autonomous passenger air vehicle (PAV) — a flying car, basically — at a facility in Virginia. The prototype, which sports wings and a rear propeller, completed a takeoff and hovered to test its “autonomous functions and ground control systems,” according to an official press release. In other words, the world is one step closer to a practical flying car. Autonomous Flying Cars The PAV was designed by Boeing research subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences, and is part of Boeing NeXt, the company’s urban air travel division.Other Boeing NeXt projects include an electric unmanned cargo air vehicle that can carry up to 500 pounds (227 kilos). Boeing’s flying car is 30 feet (9 meters) long and has a range of up to 50 miles (80.5 kilometers). Notably, it will mostly fly itself. Boeing says it will eventually be capable of fully autonomous flight from takeoff to landing. Advertisement Advertisement “Certifiable autonomy is going to make quiet, clean and safe urban air mobility possible,” CEO of Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Science John Langford said in the press release. Beautiful Whips The race to bring the flying car to the mainstream is only starting to heat up. Vahana, a subsidiary of aerospace giant Airbus, completed its first test flight of its flying car last year. A number of smaller aerospace companies are also working on competing models. We’re inching ever closer to a future in which individuals will be able to take to the skies on board flying cars. Once the tech is thoroughly tested, its future will be in the hands of federal regulators — and marketers tasked with selling the futuristic rides to consumers. READ MORE: Boeing’s Flying Car Has Taken Off [Bloomberg] Advertisement Advertisement More on flying cars: This “Flying Sports Car” Is Like a Giant Drone You Can Ride In As a Futurism reader, we invite you join the Singularity Global Community, our parent company’s forum to discuss futuristic science & technology with like-minded people from all over the world. It’s free to join, sign up now!<doc-sep>Boeing says its flying car prototype hovered briefly in the air during an inaugural test flight, part of the company’s bid to revolutionise urban transportation and parcel-delivery services. Boeing is competing withrival Airbus SE and numerous other firms to introduce small, self-flying vehicles capable of vertical takeoff and landing. The investments, fueled by leaps in autonomous technology as much as frustration with road congestion, could change the face of the aerospace industry within the next decade. Boeing’s 9-metre (30 feet) aircraft – part helicopter, part drone and part fixed-wing plane – lifted a few feet off the ground and made a soft landing after less than a minute at an airport in Virginia, the company said. “This is what revolution looks like, and it’s because of autonomy,” John Langford, president and chief executive officer of Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences, said. Hurdles to Boeing’s push to develop the technology include addressing safety and regulatory issues to meld traditional roadway traffic with fleets of flying cars. Boeing bought Aurora Flight Sciences last year to speed development of a fleet of autonomous air vehicles. With Aurora, Boeing is also working on Uber Technologies Inc’s UberAIR service for flights that are planned to be available for order via smartphones around 2023. Boeing is looking to achieve a range of 80km (50 miles) with two flying car variants capable of carrying two and four passengers each. Tests are planned for later this year on a package-hauling version that can lift up to 226.8 kg (500 pounds). Competitors range from Airbus to Volocopter, which has tested drone taxis that resemble a small helicopter powered by 18 rotors, and AeroMobil, with a stretch-limousine concept that can turn into a fixed-wing aircraft.<doc-sep>Boeing's flying car prototype, dubbed PAV, has successfully completed its first test flight of its autonomous passenger air vehicle in Virginia. Boeing NeXt, which leads the company's urban air mobility efforts designed and developed the electric car craft to fly passengers above congested city streets. Powered by electricity, the prototype completed a controlled takeoff, hover and landing during the flight, which can carry people up to 50 miles (80km). The company, which produces both military and commercial jets, will continue testing to advance the safety of on-demand autonomous air transportation. Boeing's flying car prototype has successfully completed its first test flight of its autonomous passenger air vehicle in Virginia. Boeing NeXt, which leads the company's urban air mobility efforts designed and developed the electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft WHAT ARE THE STATS OF THE PAV? Powered by an electric propulsion system, the passenger air vehicle (PAV) prototype is designed for fully autonomous flight from takeoff to landing, with a range of up to 50 miles (80.47 kilometres). Measuring 30 feet (9.14 meters) long and 28 feet (8.53 meters) wide, its advanced airframe integrates the propulsion and wing systems to achieve efficient hover and forward flight. Advertisement Future test flights of the passenger air vehicle (PAV) will test forward, wing-borne flight, as well as the transition phase between vertical and forward-flight modes. This transition phase between vertical and forward is the most engineering challenge for any high-speed Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft. Many companies are working on their own versions of flying cars and taxis like Airbus SE and Textron. In 2017, Boeing acquired aviation and aeronautics research company Aurora Flight Sciences, who has partnered with Uber to develop a network of flying taxis. Aurora has flown over 30 unpiloted flights since its founding in 1989. At the time, Boeing said that the acquisition would be key in the further development of flying autonomous cars. 'In one year, we have progressed from a conceptual design to a flying prototype,' said Boeing Chief Technology Officer Greg Hyslop. 'Boeing's expertise and innovation have been critical in developing aviation as the world's safest and most efficient form of transportation, and we will continue to lead with a safe, innovative and responsible approach to new mobility solutions.' The PAV prototype completed a controlled takeoff, hover and landing during the flight, which tested the vehicle's autonomous functions and ground control systems. The company will continue to test the vehicle to advance the safety and reliability of on-demand autonomous air transportation It is not clear when the flying cars will be available for passengers to travel in because they would need extremely stringent testing and signing off and approval could take years. Powered by an electric propulsion system, the PAV prototype is designed for fully autonomous flight from takeoff to landing, with a range of up to 50 miles (80.47 kilometres). Measuring 30 feet (9.14 metres) long and 28 feet (8.53 metres) wide, its advanced airframe integrates the propulsion and wing systems to achieve efficient hover and forward flight. In addition to the PAV, the Boeing NeXt portfolio includes an unmanned fully electric cargo air vehicle (CAV) designed to transport up to 500 pounds (226.80 kilograms) and other urban, regional and global mobility platforms. The CAV completed its first indoor flight last year and will transition to outdoor flight testing in 2019.<doc-sep>
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Boeing Co said on Wednesday its flying car prototype hovered briefly in the air during an inaugural test flight, a small but significant step as the world’s largest planemaker bids to revolutionize urban transportation and parcel delivery services. Boeing is competing with arch-rival Airbus SE and numerous other firms to introduce small self-flying vehicles capable of vertical takeoff and landing. The investments, fueled by leaps in autonomous technology as much as frustration with road congestion, could change the face of the aerospace industry within the next decade. Boeing’s 30-foot-long (9 meter) aircraft - part helicopter, part drone and part fixed-wing plane - lifted a few feet off the ground and made a soft landing after less than a minute of being airborne on Tuesday at an airport in Manassas, Virginia, Boeing said. Future flights will test forward, wing-borne flight. “This is what revolution looks like, and it’s because of autonomy,” John Langford, president and chief executive officer of Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences, said in a news release announcing the test flight. Major hurdles to Boeing’s vision of “low-stress” mobility - as it is called in the company’s marketing materials - include sorting out numerous critical safety and regulatory issues to meld traditional roadway traffic with fleets of flying cars. Slideshow ( 4 images ) Boeing is working with startup SparkCognition Inc and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to develop a traffic-management system for three-dimensional highways, as well as the regulatory framework that will allow waves of autonomous vehicles to zip safely around buildings, the company has said. Boeing bought Manassas-based Aurora Flight Sciences last year to speed development of a fleet of autonomous air vehicles. With Aurora, Boeing is also working on Uber Technologies Inc’s [UBER.UL] UberAIR service for flights that are planned to be available for order via smartphones around 2023. Boeing is looking to achieve a range of 50 miles with two flying car variants capable of carrying two and four passengers each. Tests are planned for later this year on a package-hauling version that can lift up to 500 pounds (226.8 kg). Competitors range from Airbus, which says it has already conducted numerous flying vehicle test flights, to Volocopter, which has tested drone taxis that resemble a small helicopter powered by 18 rotors, and AeroMobil, with a stretch-limousine concept that can turn into a fixed-wing aircraft. Vertical Aerospace, which completed a flight test last year, aims to offer short inter-city flights in the coming years with a piloted aircraft capable of carrying multiple passengers. “The future of mobility – moving goods, moving cargo – moving people - that future is happening now and it’s going to accelerate over the next five years and ramp up even more beyond that,” Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing’s president, chairman and CEO, told a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday.