Boeing Completed The First Successful Test Flight Of Its Autonomous Flying Taxi

Boeing recently announced that its prototype "Autonomous Flying Taxi" has completed its first successful test flight. Taking off vertically, hover and land were the feature included in the initial flight test. Reportedly, Boeing will extend the test in the future, including the transition phase between two states, regular wing-based flight, and forward flight mode.

The test comes just about a year after Boeing started developing the aircraft. Greg Hyslop, Boeing Chief Technology Officer, couldn't disguise his glee at witnessing the progression of the electric air taxi.

The craft, also known as passenger air vehicle (PAV), is designed to be fully autonomous with a range of as long as over 82 kilometers. Moreover, Boeing's PAV is battery powered. Also, the prototype measures 8.4 meters wide and 9.0 meters long, which is expected to accommodate at least two adults.

Besides this autonomous flying vehicle, the Boeing Next group also develops an unmanned cargo air vehicle (CAV) that runs completely on electricity. Reportedly, the CAV can be used to transport over 525 kilograms of cargos. The company will start outdoor flight testing of the CAV later this year.

Boeing's CAV

Needless to say, the flying car future is closer than you think. More and more companies are now working on the future of air transport. Recently, Helicopter Bell unveiled a non-working prototype of its Nexus flying air taxi at CES. Both Bell and Boeing have partnered with Uber on its plan to serve its vehicle as an "urban air taxi". Or Airbus and Audi with its latest flying taxi prototype which was revealed not long ago.