US aerospace group Boeing announced late on Wednesday (South African time) that its prototype autonomous urban air mobility vehicle had successfully made its maiden flight at Manassas, in the US State of Virginia, on Tuesday. Boeing calls the aircraft a passenger air vehicle (PAV).

The maiden flight involved a controlled take-off, hover and landing. It tested the PAV’s ground control systems and autonomous functions. Subsequent flight tests will see the aircraft carry out wing-borne forward flights and test the transition between vertical flight and forward flight. Transition is usually the major engineering concern for high-speed vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft.

“In one year, we have progressed from a conceptual design to a flying prototype,” highlighted 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 programme is the responsibility for Boeing NeXt, one of the corporation’s research and development units, which was launched last year. The PAV was actually designed and developed by Aurora Flight Sciences, which is a Boeing subsidiary.

The PAV is electrically-powered, with a range of nearly 81 km (50 miles). It has a length of 9.14 m and a width of 8.53 m and its advanced airframe achieves efficient hover and forward flight by means of integrated propulsion and wing systems. It is designed to be fully autonomous throughout the entire flight profile.

“This is what a revolution looks like, and its because of autonomy,” affirmed Aurora Flight Sciences president and CEO John Langford. “Certifiable autonomy is going to make quiet, clean and safe urban air mobility possible.”

“Boeing was there when the aviation industry was born and in our second century, we will unlock the potential of the urban air mobility market,” stated Boeing NeXt VP and GM Steve Nordlund. “From building air vehicles to airspace integration, we will usher in a future of safe, low-stress mobility in cities and regions around the world.”