A demonstration flight of a manned flying car was conducted in this western Japan city on March 21, with an intended use in commercial and disaster response fields.
After a pilot boarded the vertical takeoff and landing aircraft on Omishima Island along the Shimanami Kaido road in the Seto Inland Sea, it slowly rose vertically to a height of about 8 meters, with the Tatara Bridge, an elegant cable-stayed bridge on the road in the background.
The city of Imabari has been designated as a National Strategic Special Zone to seek solutions to social issues through demonstrations of drones and automated driving. The city government intends to introduce flying vehicles for both commercial and disaster prevention purposes while keeping an eye on future legislation.
Mayor Shigeki Tokunaga said that he was excited to see this wonderful scenery from the sky. On the other hand, we would like to consider effective preparations for disasters such as a Nankai Trough megaquake. The city commissioned the major trading company Marubeni Corp. for the demonstration flight and used a Hexa flying vehicle developed by Lift Aircraft Inc. in the United States. The aircraft is able to fly for about 15 minutes after its battery is recharged. Marubeni and other companies are aiming to make Japan's first commercial operation of flying cars at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. On March 21 there was a virtual reality corner which was set up at the test site, where visitors could experience the view from the sky through a simulated flight.