Page 60 - World Airnews Magazine October Edition 2020

NEWS DIGITAL

A MANNED FLIGHT OF ITS

FLYING CAR

its work on the flying car.
“We haven't even reached the halfway mark for its appli-
A Tokyo company has achieved what it says is the first cations,” said SkyDrive's president, Tomohiro Fukuzawa, who
manned flight of a flying car in Japan. formerly worked for Toyota Motor Corp. “We will co-operate
The vehicle, developed by start-up company SkyDrive Inc rose with our partner companies to be able to achieve the same
off the ground to a height of two metres or so under the pilot's degree of perfection aircraft have.”
navigation and then flew in circles at a speed of 4 kph. The flight The single-seater vehicle boasts eight propellers arranged on
lasted roughly three minutes. four sides, resembling the design of a drone. It is roughly two
The company conducted the first demonstration for media at metres high and 4 metres in length and width.
a test field in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture on August 25. It aims to
put the vehicle into practical use in fiscal 2023 as part of a flying SkyDrive began manned test flights in December. As of now,
taxi transportation service it is considering initially for the bay the vehicle's top speed is 40 to 50 kph. Its longest continuous
areas of Tokyo and Osaka. flight duration is five to 10 minutes.
On August 28, SkyDrive announced it had raised 3.9 billion The company said it will continue making improvements to
yen or (US) $36.8 million from 10 corporations, including the body of the vehicle and still has to iron out possibilities for
Development Bank of Japan Inc and NEC Corporation to further how the vehicle will be used. Q

NEWS DIGITAL

BOEING DONATES MILLIONS

Boeing has donated (US) $10.6 million
to a group of 20 non-profit organisations
working to address racial equity and social
justice in the United States.
The funding package is part of the
company's previously announced multi-
year commitment that includes a mix of
local and national-level grants aimed at
increasing the number of minority and
under-served students pursuing science,
technology, engineering and math (STEM)
education and diversifying the aerospace
talent pipeline.
Grant money also will fund programmes our employees live and work. With this Programme, Equal Justice Initiative, The
that work to address criminal justice reform financial commitment to this group of non Mission Continues, UNCF, the Chicago
and health care gaps in underserved and profit partners, we are hopeful that togeth- Urban League, Long Beach College
minority communities. er, we can begin to make real advances in Promise, Forum to Advance Minorities
"At Boeing, we acknowledge the toll that our ongoing pursuit of equality." in Engineering, Inc, International African
systemic racism and social injustice have Over the past five years, Boeing has American Museum, National Black Child
had on people of colour, particularly Black invested more than (US) $120 million to Development Institute, Space Centre
communities here in the United States," support under-served communities and Houston, Adrienne Arsht Centre, Girls
said David Calhoun, Boeing president and plans to make additional announcements Inc. of Huntsville, the Urban League of
CEO. related to its racial equity and social justice Metropolitan St. Louis,
"As we work internally to confront these investment strategy in the future. BE NOLA, Space Foundation, the Turning
issues, we also remain focused on address- Nonprofits receiving grant funding Leaf Project, the Urban League of Portland
ing the causes and impacts of racism and include the Seattle Children's Hospital, and the Youth Celebrate Diversity organi-
social inequality in the communities where Chicago Public Schools, DC College Access sation. Q

World Airnews | October Extra 2020
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