Milestones:
Reached 100km/h in flight testing (June 2026)
Received Design Organization Approval (ADO) from JCAB (April 2026)
G-1 Certification basis agreed with JCAB (Feb 2025)

Our Review:

Partnered with Suzuki, Japan-based SkyDrive is focusing on short urban trips in overcongested cities like Tokyo. The design focuses on simplicity: fixed-pitch rotors, no tilting mechanisms, no transition to fixed-wing flight. This is in-line with the design goals. SkyDrive aims to fill the gap for trips that are too far for bicycles or taxis, and also skips the bottlenecks of rivers, mountains, and congested roads.

The multi-copter design works well for this kind of mission due to its high disk loading. What it lacks in speed, it makes up for in efficiency. We have no doubt the technology will work. But it will take time for wide acceptance. Noise and safety are the biggest concerns. But as a business model, only time will tell if multi-copters can actually compete with traditional forms of transport at scale.

They project beginning operations in 2028. We’ll see what is possible in just 2 years time.

*Range, endurance, and max speed are reported by the manufacturer. These specifications are not yet verified by performance tests. Personal Air Mobility comments on these claims in engineering reviews, but does not independently verify their validity.