It held steady despite strong winds, keeping the Astro Elroy’s two passengers safe
The Texas-based Astro Aerospace acquired Passenger Drone in May, which made waves last year after performing manned flight tests and acquired the company’s autonomous VTOL technology from the company. Astro just finished testing a self-flying drone prototype, named Elroy, which took place five months ago. (Perhaps future models will take the names of the Jetsons as well).
Following Transport Canada’s approval to test the craft at Toronto Markan Airport on September 17, Elroy and Astro headed north. During a four-and-half minute flight on Wednesday, the drone reached a height of more than 60 feet and flew at more than 31 mph, concluding its testing after a few days. The company says the vehicle remained stable during its maneuvers despite gusts of wind. Due to the same winds that grounded it for the remainder of the week, the craft had already demonstrated its abilities by that time.
Once completed, the VTOL has 16 rotors lining two struts above it, with a top speed of 43 mph, according to Astro. With the finished vehicle, passengers will have the option of entering their destination through a touchscreen interface, and all stages will be carried out automatically. This is one morning commute I could get behind because the VTOL tracks over a 4G network (hopefully one that is more stable than my phone’s). As well as accommodating two passengers, it can be stored in most garages and comes with a flight stick so the pilot can take control as needed.
