2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

<p>News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.</p>


<p>News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.</p>


Rotorcraft service group says it may buy up to 50 of the three-seat SD-05 vehicle 

Dubai Helicopter Operator and SkyDrive Plan eVTOL Tourist Flights

Hanneke Weitering

Oita's local government partners with SkyDrive and Kyushu Railway Company

Japan’s Oita Prefecture Plans Integrated eVTOL and Rail Services

Greenville-based charter operator pre-orders 10 eVTOL air taxis

SAI Flight To Operate SkyDrive eVTOL in South Carolina

<p>News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.</p>


Maintenance, repair, and overhaul group has 52 line stations in the U.S. and Europe

FEAM Aero Will Support SkyDrive eVTOL Aircraft Operators

<p>Issues regarding financing of aircraft; aviation insurance; tax issues for aircraft operators; new companies and people in the aviation financing and insurance industries.</p>


New backers include public transportation group Osaka Metro

SkyDrive Attracts $55 Million in New Funding for eVTOL Aircraft

<p>New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.</p>


The Japanese manufacturer launched a partnership with Kyushu Railway Company

Japanese Train Operator Seeks to Integrate eVTOL Air Taxi Services

<p>News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.</p>


The three-seat vehicle is expected to achieve Japanese type certification in 2026

Japan's SkyDrive Begins FAA Type Certification for eVTOL Aircraft

<p>News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.</p>


The private charter operator is based in Augusta, Georgia

Bravo Air Plans To Operate SkyDrive eVTOL Aircraft 

<p>Japanese “flying car” developer SkyDrive has started building the first prototype of its&nbsp;three-seat SD-05 eVTOL aircraft. On March 7, the company announced it has started assembling&nbsp;the first parts in a joint operation with automotive manufacturer Suzuki Motor Corporation, through a subsidiary called <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-10-12/skydrive-and-suzuki-establish-evtol-aircraft-manufacturing-subsidiary">Sky Works</a>. Suzuki is providing space at its factory in Iwata City in Japan’s Shizuoka prefecture and according to SkyDrive, the site will have the capacity to assemble up to 100 aircraft per year.</p>
<p>“This facility allows us to produce high-quality eVTOLs efficiently and effectively, ensuring we meet the needs of our customers,” said Sky Works president Nobuo Kishi.&nbsp;</p>
<p>SkyDrive aims to achieve provisional airworthiness approval for the SD-05 aircraft in time for the <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-05-20/skyports-aims-provide-vertiport-japans-osaka-kansai-world-expo">2025 Osaka World Expo</a>, where it plans to conduct public flight demonstrations. The company is not disclosing initial production rates or the number of prototypes it aims to manufacture&nbsp;before certification. A SkyDrive spokesperson told <strong>AIN</strong> that&nbsp;“our initial focus is to build an aircraft for Expo in order to acquire an appropriate authorization/permit to fly.”</p>
<p>The company is working to obtain a <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-05-03/japanese-regulator-approves-type-certification-basis-skydrives-personal">type certificate</a> from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau and expects to have the vehicle in service by 2026 when it will launch full-scale serial production. SkyDrive also plans to certify the aircraft with the U.S. FAA, and it has signed provisional sales agreements with operators in other Asian markets, including <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-07-21/skydrive-reports-more-provisional-evtol-aircraft-sales-vietnam-and-south">Vietnam</a>.</p>
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            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/futureflight/import/skydrive_production_launch_march2024_2.jpg" width="2200" height="1466" alt="Two SkyDrive employees are pictured working on inventories at the Iwata City manufacturing plant" title="SkyDrive employees prepare the Iwata City manufacturing facility for the launch of SD-05 production. (Photo: SkyDrive)">

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            <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">SkyDrive employees prepare the Iwata City manufacturing facility for the launch of SD-05 production. (Photo: SkyDrive)</div>
      
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<figcaption>SkyDrive employees prepare the Iwata City manufacturing facility for the launch of SD-05 production. (Photo: SkyDrive)</figcaption>
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<p>The first prototypes that come off the production line in Iwata City will be used for the SD-05 flight test campaign. Although the three-seat SD-05 model is not yet flight-proven, the company has been flying its full-scale SD-03 model since 2020. It expects to begin flying the first SD-05 prototype sometime this year, the spokesperson told <strong>AIN</strong>.</p>
<p>The battery-powered SD-05 aircraft is a multicopter with 12 electric motors mounted to an overhead boom assembly. It is designed to carry a pilot plus two passengers up to 15 kilometers (9 miles) on a single charge, with a maximum cruise speed of 100 kph (62 mph).</p>
<p>Eventually SkyDrive aims to introduce an autonomous version of the aircraft that would free up space for one additional passenger in place of the on-board pilot, but it doesn’t foresee that happening until the 2030s.&nbsp;</p>
<p>While SkyDrive’s eVTOL is primarily intended for commercial air taxi and aerial tourism operations, the company has begun accepting pre-orders from <a href="https://futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-04-13/skydrive-signs-first-private-use-preorder-sd-05-evtol-aircraft">private customers</a>. It is also exploring emergency medical applications for the aircraft.</p>
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            <div class="field field--name-field-media-oembed-video field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item"><iframe src="https://backend.ainonline.com//media/oembed?url=https%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DouX1QYtUIgc%26ab_channel%3DSkyDriveInc&amp;max_width=0&amp;max_height=0&amp;hash=LyNajJKVZyCbPyAuI47xxbqMmNDu4Y3OJNbVboketmg" width="200" height="113" class="media-oembed-content" loading="eager" title="【SkyDrive】&quot;SKYDRIVE&quot;:  Lightweight Three-seat eVTOL Aircraft"></iframe>
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Science & Technology Editor

SkyDrive Launches Production of SD-05 eVTOL Prototype

<p><span><span><span>Japanese eVTOL aircraft developer SkyDrive is looking to make early inroads into India’s advanced air mobility (AAM) market through new public and private-sector partnerships. During the Gujarat Global Summit 2024 event that closed on January 13, the company signed collaboration agreements with the engineering and technology group Cyient and the government of the Indian state of Gujarat.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>Gujarat’s Department of Science and Technology will work with SkyDrive to develop the ecosystem needed to launch eVTOL air services in the state by 2027. Government officials will also support feasibility studies focused on creating AAM businesses in Gujarat, which is the political power base of Indian Prime Minister Narendra.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>“We would work closely together with the public and private sectors [in Gujarat] to provide solutions for issues, such as mobility emissions and urban congestion,” said SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>Under a memorandum of understanding signed on January 12, Cyrient will support SkyDrive’s efforts to bring its three-seat eVTOL aircraft to market by 2028. Initially, the company will assist with tasks such as creating the technical publication manual for the all-electric vehicle, which is expected to be used for flights of up to just 15 miles. </span></span></span></p>
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            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/futureflight/import/MoU%20signing%20SkyDrive%20and%20Cyient_%C2%A9SkyDrive.JPG" width="5760" height="3840" alt="Left to right: Cyrient founder and chairman BVR Reddy, Cyient CEO Karthikeyan Natarajan, and SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa signed a collaboration agreement" title="Left to right: Cyrient founder and chairman BVR Reddy, Cyient CEO Karthikeyan Natarajan, and SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa signed a collaboration agreement at the Indian company's headquarters in Hyderabad. (Image: SkyDrive)">

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            <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Left to right: Cyrient founder and chairman BVR Reddy, Cyient CEO Karthikeyan Natarajan, and SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa signed a collaboration agreement at the Indian company's headquarters in Hyderabad. (Image: SkyDrive)</div>
      
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<figcaption>Left to right: Cyrient founder and chairman BVR Reddy, Cyient CEO Karthikeyan Natarajan, and SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa signed a collaboration agreement at the Indian company's headquarters in Hyderabad. (Image: SkyDrive)</figcaption>
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<p><span><span><span>Cyrient is based in Hyderabad, which is one of India’s biggest technology hub cities and the capital of the southern state of Telangana. The group’s CEO and executive director, Kathineyan Natarajan, said the partnership could be expanded to cover other aspects of developing new urban mobility initiatives in Indian cities.</span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>According to Cyrient, it supports multiple aerospace and defense companies with engineering services focused on manufacturing and design for aircraft engines, aerostructures, cabin interiors, and avionics. It aims to lower engineering costs and help with supply-chain challenges faced by the industry and is also involved in fields such as modernizing the railway industry with digital technology.</span></span></span></p>
<h3 class="subheading"><strong><span><span><span>Multiple AAM Companies Target Indian Market</span></span></span></strong></h3>
<h3 class="subheading"><span><span><span>Several other eVTOL aircraft developers—among them&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-11-14/eve-launches-urban-air-mobility-partnerships-dubai-and-india">Eve Air Mobility</a>, <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-11-08/archer-plans-bring-evtol-air-taxi-services-india">Archer</a>, and Jaunt—have previously announced partnerships aimed at developing AAM services in India with companies including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-03-28/blade-set-expand-indian-charter-flight-network-jaunts-journey-evtol">Blade.</a> There has also been local interest in new hybrid-electric aircraft such as <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-11-01/indian-leasing-group-vman-plans-buy-lytes-skybus-vtol-aircraft">Lyte Aviation's SkyBus</a> and <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-07-05/indian-regional-airline-plans-switch-fleet-electric-seaplanes">Jekta's PHA-ZE 100 </a>electric seaplane.&nbsp;</span></span></span></h3>
<p><span><span><span>Last week, SkyDrive announced that it has secured an unspecified amount of additional capital through a Series C funding round involving a third-party allotment of new shares to its existing backer, Suzuki Motor Corporation. The companies jointly exhibited at the Global Trade Show, which was part of the Gujarat Global Summit 2024 event. At&nbsp;the booth of its partner, Maruti-Suzuki India Limited, the company displayed the SD-05 one-fifth-scale model of its aircraft. </span></span></span></p>
<p><span><span><span>In October, SkyDrive received funding from the Japanese government. It aims to achieve provisional airworthiness approval in time for the aircraft to be demonstrated during the Osaka World Expo in 2025, with <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-10-23/japanese-government-backs-skydrives-evtol-aircraft-development">full type certification</a> expected to take longer to complete. </span></span></span></p>


SkyDrive

News

Dubai Helicopter Operator and SkyDrive Plan eVTOL Tourist Flights

Japan’s Oita Prefecture Plans Integrated eVTOL and Rail Services

SAI Flight To Operate SkyDrive eVTOL in South Carolina

FEAM Aero Will Support SkyDrive eVTOL Aircraft Operators

SkyDrive Attracts $55 Million in New Funding for eVTOL Aircraft

Japanese Train Operator Seeks to Integrate eVTOL Air Taxi Services

Japan's SkyDrive Begins FAA Type Certification for eVTOL Aircraft

Bravo Air Plans To Operate SkyDrive eVTOL Aircraft

SkyDrive Launches Production of SD-05 eVTOL Prototype

SkyDrive Forges Partnerships in India To Pave the Way for Advanced Air Mobility

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