Workhorse Surefly taxi drone flight canceled due to drizzle at CES 2018

A little rain canceled the Workhorse Surefly taxi drone flight because the aircraft is not waterproof. After receiving approval from the FAA, the passenger drone was supposed to make its maiden flight on Monday, but it stayed grounded because of safety concerns. The cool Nevada air with some mild drizzle proved to be too much for the aircraft that is supposed to be the future of commuting. What a bummer.

The Surefly for sure did not fly

We were excited to see the Workhorse surefly drone make its maiden flight here during the CES 2018 event in Las Vegas. Maybe the Ohio-based Workhorse Group should have opted for an indoor test flight like the Volocopter did? But then again, how often does it rain in Las Vegas?

The two-passenger, electric-diesel hybrid taxi drone is said to have a range of 70 miles (113km) and can be flown manually or fully automatic while carrying up to 400 pounds (181kg). Its first flight would have been a highlight of the event and the press had been invited to witness it at nearby Boulder City AIrport. Inclement weather was the reason for the event to be canceled. The BBC reported that:

“The SureFly is a purpose-built experimental aircraft and the fuselage on the SureFly at CES has not been waterproofed, although it will be on future production models. To avoid potential risks associated with rain affecting the aircraft’s electrical system and the SureFly’s rotor blades, the SureFly’s first flight has been postponed.”

Workhorse said it hoped to carry out the maiden flight soon. For now, all we have is a short video clip in which the Surefly is chained to the ground while testing its rotors. What a bummer, I would have loved to see this baby fly!

https://youtu.be/8gIBujk7cAE

117 days of sun shine in Vegas ended today. SureFly manned flight is postponed. Stay tuned! Come see the #SureFly @CES Central Plaza booth 31! @Nasdaq #WKHS pic.twitter.com/ZxOQdqUKxi

— Workhorse (@Workhorse_Group) January 8, 2018

More CES 2018 stories on DroneDJ

• Yuneec introduces Typhoon H Plus, first fixed-wing and racing drones at CES 2018
• Volocopter VC200 2X made its maiden flight in North America during CES 2018
• Bell Helicopter and Uber show taxi drone at CES 2018
• Intel shows off with 100 tiny drones flying inside at CES 2018
• Hands-on: New drones from Shenzhen-based ‘HighGreat’ at CES 2018: ‘Mark’ and ‘Hesper’
• Intel and DJI technology in a $99 toy drone to be announced at CES 2018
• All-new DJI Ronin-S will be a game changer if DJI prices it right

And be sure to check out our full roundup of all our CES coverage as well.