SkyDrive’s SD-03 Is A More Car-Like Flying Car

Physical Distancing Is Easy In A Single Seat Flying Car

SkyDive is an interesting name for a developer of urban air mobility solutions, at least SD-03, the name of their prototype, doesn’t immediately make you want to reach for a parachute.  Unlike Agility Prime, this actually looks more like a car than a giant quadrocopter and offers the driver a little protection against wind and the elements.  At two meters high by four meters wide and four meters long it, you would only need to pay for two parking spots if you popped out in one.

The SD-03 is fully electric and the flight system consists of four pairs of counter-rotating drive rotors each powered by a separate motor.  This offers great agility and in theory, the ability for a controlled descent if you lose a single rotor from one or more of the pairs, though losing both rotors in one pair will lead  to a rather bad day.

SkyDive recently completed a successful four minute flight test at the Toyota Test Field in Japan, with a pilot in the seat.  Most of the functions of the SD-03 are handled by a computer-assisted control system, as asking a dirver to manually balance the four rotor pairs would be a bit much for commercial usage but there are still controls for the driver. 

There are a couple of videos of the flight of the SDS-03 on YouTube and you can check out their PR here.