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SkyDrive is planning scheduled point-to-point and circular demonstration flights at the Osaka Expo this summer.
SkyDrive has flown its SD-05 electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) air taxi for the first time in a public demonstration, at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan.
The Expo officially opens on April 13, but SkyDrive demonstrated its aircraft April 9 ahead of the formal opening of the show, at the OsakaKo Vertiport.
SkyDrive is planning scheduled point-to-point and circular demonstration flights at the Osaka Expo this summer.
The company has been flight-testing another example of its SD-05 prototype, without livery, at its facility in Toyota City. The aircraft that flew in Osaka reached an altitude of about 5 m (16.4 ft.) and flew for about 4 min., says SkyDrive. That prototype was piloted remotely, without any crew onboard.
SkyDrive’s air taxi is designed to carry two passengers, plus a pilot, on point-to-point trips. The aircraft has 12 electric-motor-driven rotors and measures 11.5 x 11.3 x 3 m (37.7 x 37 x 10 ft.), including rotors.
Without a wing, the eVTOL’s range is about 15 km (9.5 mi.). SkyDrive says the range is “to be gradually extended to 30-40 km with battery upgrades.” The company aims to extend the range to 30 km by about 2029 and 40 km by about 2031, according to its website. Electric Power Systems supplies the batteries.
In February, SkyDrive received its G-1 certification basis document from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. The company aims to certify its eVTOL in late 2026 and enter service in 2027.
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