Prototype SkyDrive eVTOL revealed, receives JCAB certification basis
February 10, 2025
With SkyDrive having received the initial certification basis for its inaugural commercial aircraft, the Japanese manufacturer is “delighted that the year is off to such a great start,” revealed SkyDrive chief development officer Arnaud Coville, with the prototype eVTOL set to make its public debut later this year.
The latest agreement between the JCAB and SkyDrive builds on an earlier agreement, reached in March 2022, to use the JCAB Airworthiness Inspection Manual Part II as the basis for type certification of SkyDrive’s craft. Based on previously defined airworthiness criteria for fixed-wing aircraft, the latest revision (61) “gives aircraft manufacturers a greater degree of flexibility in selecting the methods they will use to demonstrate the safety of their aircraft, allowing them to choose methods which best match the aircraft’s specific characteristics,” explained SkyDrive.
Coville added that the “issuance of this certification basis represents the culmination of substantial efforts invested over several months,” with the “significant milestone” reached through “a series of respectful and collaborative discussions with the JCAB”.
With certification basis now accepted by the JCAB, the FAA is currently reviewing its own certification basis, although SkyDrive notes that “80% of the requirements… are identical to those in the FAA Type Certification… to which SkyDrive expects to adhere”. It added that concurrent type certification in both nations will ultimately “[pave] a smoother path towards standardized global operations”.
Originally intended as a two-seater, SkyDrive revealed at the 2023 Paris Air Show that its multicopter-configured SKYDRIVE SD-05 eVTOL would now be progressing as a three-seat variant. At the time, the company stated that Japanese and American type certification was expected in 2026, with its current range of 15km hoped to double (as battery technology matures) by 2029.
In the meantime, however, the prototype will continue to undergo an “extensive series of flight tests” as SkyDrive continues to make “steady progress toward the upcoming demonstration flights at the Osaka Expo”. With SkyDrive and the JCAB remaining “in dialogue over the future certification plan, with the aim of reaching agreement over the required testing schedule and procedures,” this clarity will allow the ground and flight test campaign to formally commence.
In December 2024, SkyDrive revealed its first proposed commercial routes – the so-called ‘Osaka Diamond Route’ – to connect four key destinations in the city from 2028. Building on initial public demonstration flights at the 2025 Expo, Osaka Metro has also signed an agreement to study the feasibility of integrating the craft into its urban transportation network longer-term – with SkyDrive envisioning “a future where eVTOL becomes a common mode of daily transportation”.
