• 31 Aug 2024 07:23 AM
• 0

SkyDrive Eyes Maiden Flight

SkyDrive intends to conduct the maiden flight of its SD-05 eVTOL aircraft within months, according to a July 30 report in Vertical Magazine. SkyDrive is working towards debuting the three-seat SD-05 at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, Japan, before securing a type certificate for the aircraft in 2026 from aviation authorities in both Japan and the United States, where SkyDrive has a subsidiary. Tomohiro Fukuzawa, the CEO of the Japan-based eVTOL developer, said that SkyDrive seeks to meet a demand for light, short-range eVTOL aircraft that would be less expensive and less power-intensive to operate than some of the larger eVTOL aircraft under development elsewhere in the world.

Meanwhile, on June 28, SkyDrive and Thailand’s Saha Group partnered to explore air taxi opportunities in southeast Asia. And on July 4, SkyDrive and Kyushu Railway Company, part of the Japan Rail network, partnered to study ways of integrating rail and eVTOL aircraft connections.