Boeing has successfully completed the first test flight of its autonomous passenger air vehicle (PAV) prototype in the USA.

Boeing NeXt — tasked with helping to create a world in which autonomous and piloted vehicles can safely co-exist — worked with Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences to design and develop the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and will continue testing to improve the safety and reliability of on-demand autonomous air transport.

The PAV prototype completed a controlled take-off, hover and landing during the flight, which tested the vehicle’s autonomous functions and ground control systems.

Future flights will test its forward wing-borne flight, as well as the transition phase between vertical and forward-flight modes.

This transition phase is usually the most significant engineering challenge for any high-speed VTOL aircraft.

Boeing chief technology officer Greg Hyslop (www.boeing.com) said: “In one year, we have progressed from a conceptual design to a flying prototype.

“Boeing’s expertise and innovation have been critical in developing aviation as the world’s safest and most-efficient form of transportation, and the company will continue to lead with a safe, innovative and responsible approach to new mobility solutions.”

Powered by an electric propulsion system, the 30ft-long and 28ft-wide PAV prototype is designed for fully autonomous flight from take-off to landing — with a range of up to 50 miles.

Its advanced airframe integrates the propulsion and wing systems to achieve efficient hover and forward flight.