Japanese advanced air mobility (AAM) company SkyDrive has announced it took a major certification step toward the eventual marketing and distribution of its single-person flying car, calling it the first craft of its kind to reach that milestone in the country.
Tokyo-based SkyDrive said it obtained a so-called type certificate in late October from Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) for its SD-03 flying car. The type certificate approves the design, structure, strength, and performance of newly developed aircraft, evaluating each on safety and environmental grounds. Successful qualification is requisite for craft to advance toward the next level of development, and beyond that final authorization for full-scale production, distribution, and commercial operation.
The initial type certificate was granted after the SkyDrive’s SD-03 flying car had successfully navigated a number of studies and trials that tested, among other…
