Japan-based eVTOL developer SkyDrive Inc. will conduct demonstration flights of its Mannequin SD-05 in Tokyo between February 24 and February 28, 2026. The occasion, organized in collaboration with the Tokyo Metropolitan Authorities, Mitsubishi Property Co., Ltd., and Kanematsu Company, marks SkyDrive’s first demo flight within the metropolis and represents a big step towards the corporate’s purpose of launching business operations in 2028.
The demonstration flights will happen at a brief take-off and touchdown website situated within the out of doors parking zone of Tokyo Huge Sight’s East Wing. The Mannequin SD-05, beforehand flown at Expo 2025 in Osaka and the OsakaKo Vertiport, will function alongside a round route both inside the parking zone premises or extending over the ocean from the touchdown website.
Remotely Piloted eVTOL Know-how
A key technical component of those demonstrations is the plane’s operational configuration. In line with the press launch, “The plane might be operated with out an on-board pilot, utilizing a mix of automated management and distant pilot know-how to make sure the very best requirements of flight security.” This remotely piloted eVTOL strategy represents a sophisticated operational mannequin for city air mobility purposes.
The flights are scheduled twice day by day at 9:30 AM and 12:05 PM, with free public viewing obtainable all through the five-day interval. SkyDrive may even conduct passenger expertise trials on February 24 and 25, the place 100 chosen individuals will take a look at terminal operations together with facial recognition check-in, safety screening, and boarding procedures, although precise flight participation will not be included.
The initiative is a part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Authorities’s “eVTOL Implementation Mission,” which goals to determine business flight operations in city areas by 2030. SkyDrive is collaborating with UK-based Skyports to develop vertiport infrastructure outfitted with a Vertiport Automation System (VAS), validating floor operations, airspace monitoring, and passenger processing techniques important for future city air mobility companies in Japan’s capital.
Extra info is out there from their web site.
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Ian McNabb is a journalist specializing in drone know-how and life-style content material at Dronelife. He’s based mostly between Boston and NH and, when not writing, enjoys mountain climbing and Boston space sports activities.
