Japan now has a flying car with one man aboard. Japan’s SkyDrive company’s SD-03 SkyDrive is one of the few ‘manned flying cars’ among 100 other attempts around the world. With the model’s slick built, the researchers say that this would facilitate door-to-door transportation with faster travel time. Unlike helicopters and aeroplanes, this can get a person onboard quickly from door-to-door.
Features
SD-03 SkyDrive looks like a motorbike or a small automobile in size and appearance. On its test flight, the inbuilt propellers could lift it up about 1-2 meters and hovered for several minutes. It has a vertical takeoff and landing feature.
With further modifications and finessing, researchers are planning to increase SD-03 SkyDrive’s airtime. With safety as the first priority, when commercialising researchers will have to advance the battery size for effectiveness and infrastructure problems like air traffic control.
About the project
Started as a volunteer project in 2012, SkyDrive’s flying car project has come far. The project had funding from top companies like Toyota, Panasonic and Bandai Namco, a video game developer and also the Japanese government.
The company hopes this would satisfy the growing demand for personal air travelling for a reasonable price in the near future and hopes to export its airmobile product around the world. We can hope that a personal flying option like this would have a smooth journey free of traffic jams.
The company is planning its release on the consumer market by 2023.
Watch the video.