Japanese eVTOL manufacturer SkyDrive and Austin Aviation, a Part 135 charter operator and subsidiary of Lowcountry Aviation Company (LCA) in Walterboro, South Carolina, have announced a pre-order Letter of Intent (LOI) for SkyDrive to deliver up to five “SKYDRIVE” eVTOL aircraft to Austin Aviation.
In January 2023 at the annual VFS eVTOL Symposium in Mesa, Arizona, SkyDrive announced its plans to enter the U.S. market and establish a home base in South Carolina. At this year’s Paris Air Show, SkyDrive announced a new three-person manned configuration “SKYDRIVE” based on a patented rotor dome design.
According to the press release: “SkyDrive and Volatus Infrastructure, agreed to contribute to the creation of robust operational Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) infrastructure plan as part of their previously announced strategic alliance. In concert with South Carolina along with major airports and operators in the state, SkyDrive aims to commence commercial operations as soon as it has completed essential development milestones. Furthermore, Volatus will now expand its role by providing critical expertise as SkyDrive’s infrastructure plan extends from South Carolina’s airports to rural areas within the state.
“SkyDrive, along with its network of South Carolina Airports, customers, stakeholders and vendors, will create practical use cases originating from the state’s major airports utilising SkyDrive’s eVTOL aircraft model.”
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(Image: SkyDrive)
