OSHKOSH, WI. and TOYOTA, Japan, July 26, 2023 – SkyDrive Inc. (“SkyDrive”), an eVTOL (*1) aircraft manufacturer based in Japan, today announced at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2023 that the company has selected Avidyne’s Quantum Open Avionics Platform for its first production aircraft, the SKYDRIVE (*2).
SkyDrive is developing eVTOL aircraft to fulfill their vision of a future where everyone has access to eVTOL as their daily transportation. Designed to be flown with one pilot and two passengers on board for intra-city flights, the SKYDRIVE requires customized, certified avionics systems to enable its mission.
Avidyne was founded in 1994 with the mission of modernizing avionics by applying advanced technology to improve safety and increase aircraft utility. For more than two decades, Avidyne has been a market-leader in the design and manufacturing of easy-to-use integrated avionics systems for a variety of aircraft.
“We are very pleased to have Avidyne as our avionics partner for our eVTOL aircraft, the SKYDRIVE. Avidyne’s Quantum avionics system is very competitive in performance, weight, and cost and will play one of the most important roles of the aircraft system of eVTOL,” said SkyDrive Chief Development Officer Arnaud Coville.
“The avionics requirements and mission profiles of the all-electric SkyDrive eVTOL aircraft are a unique opportunity for Quantum’s open avionics platform and we are honored to have been selected to create a customized avionics solution for this innovative new aircraft,” said Avidyne Chief Executive Officer Dan Schwinn.
About the SKYDRIVE
The SKYDRIVE is a three-seat, electric-powered lightweight aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. Flown by a pilot, its flight stability is enhanced with the assistance of a fly-by-wire control system. The SKYDRIVE is being developed with the vision of realizing a world where they are used in daily life for air mobility much as automobiles are used for daily ground transportation.
About SkyDrive Inc.
SkyDrive was formally established in July 2018 after testing flying car concepts and prototypes since 2014 with the mission of “taking the lead in the once-in-a-century mobility revolution.” Its vision is to create a future where everyone has access to eVTOLs as their daily transportation in Japan and across the world. The company succeeded in the first crewed flight test in Japan in 2019 and its eVTOL SKYDRIVE is in the process of acquiring its Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) certification. SkyDrive has been selected as a company to participate in the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) project at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. SkyDrive is headquartered in Toyota, Aichi. Tomohiro Fukuzawa is the CEO of the company.
For more information, please visit: https://en.skydrive2020.com/
About Avidyne Corporation
Avidyne’s continuing leadership in innovation and product design gives pilots and their passengers a simply smarter way to fly. In addition to avionics solutions for the Advanced Air Mobility market, the company offers a full line of avionics systems for corporate, military, and owner flown piston and turbine powered fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. Avidyne is based in Melbourne, Florida.
For more information, please visit: https://www.avidyne.com/
Editor’s Note:
(*1) “eVTOL” is an abbreviation for electric vertical takeoff and landing. eVTOL aircraft are characterized by electrification, a fully autonomous autopilot, and vertical takeoff and landing. It is also called Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) or Urban Air Mobility (UAM).
(*2) “SKYDRIVE” is a product name of SkyDrive Model SD-05. Model SD-05 is in the process of acquiring its Japan Civil Aviation Bureau certification.
Related press release: https://en.skydrive2020.com/archives/7336
Contact:
Risa Oishi
Public Relations
SkyDrive Inc.
Email: info@skydrive.co.jp