SkyDrive conducts high-speed demonstration flights in Japan

July 13, 2026 (MLN): Japanese startup SkyDrive Inc. conducted high-speed demonstration flights of its "flying car"  at a test site in Yamaguchi, western Japan, simulating a sightseeing tour over the Seto Inland Sea.

The company remotely operated a three-seat aircraft, including the pilot's seat, flying approximately 2 kilometers, including a stretch over water, at a top speed of 86 kilometers per hour, APP reported.

As multiple propellers on top of the aircraft began to spin, it lifted vertically and took off toward the sea. After flying about 1 km, the aircraft turned around, accelerated, and returned to the departure point. The six-minute demonstration flight was conducted twice.

SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa said the demonstration was meant to give a sense of how the company could offer tours of the Seto Inland Sea in a way that respects the environment and the local community.

The company had said in June that it achieved stable flight at 100 kph as it moves toward commercialization, and it aims to launch services around 2028 in Osaka and Oita prefectures.

Such electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft are expected to help address challenges including traffic congestion and overcrowded trains.

SkyDrive, based in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture in central Japan, had earlier conducted demonstration flights at the World Exposition in Osaka last year.

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