Aska expects to start untethered flight testing of its A5 four-seat eVTOL aircraft during July, having completed several short tethered hover flights in June. The California-based company now holds an FAA certificate of authorization and special airworthiness certification to test its first A5 prototype.
Since the start of 2023, Aska has been conducting ground trials with the A5, including drives on local streets near its Mountain View headquarters and into local airfields from which it is intended to operate in either VTOL or STOL modes. It now hopes to expand flight testing to airports such as Palo Alto and San Jose's Reid Hillview, which the company sees as being typical locations where owner-pilots would operate the hybrid-electric aircraft. The A5 is also intended to be used as a road vehicle to be parked at homes or offices.
According to Aska co-founder, chair, and CEO Maki Kaplinsky, the prototype is slightly larger than the planned production model, with several more design changes still to be implemented. The vehicle is around the size of a standard SUV and is intended to drive up to a helipad or runway. When taking off conventionally, the A5 uses in-wheel motors and thrust from the tilting propellers.
The data from the early flight testing is also being used to prepare the company’s application for the G-1 issue paper it needs from the FAA to advance the Part 21.17 (b) type certification process it began last November. Within the next few weeks, Aska aims to first achieve stable hover flights and then expand the flight envelope to the transition to vertical cruise.
Aska said its team of fewer than 50 people produced the prototype almost entirely in-house. The company has expanded its offices and manufacturing facilities in Mountain View and has an advisory board including veteran engineers from companies such as General Dynamics, UTC Aerospace Systems, and Collins.
The A5 features six independent electric motors mounted on wings that fold out from the top of the fuselage. These are powered by batteries and an unspecified engine that Aska said can run on premium gasoline and is used to extend flight duration and recharge the batteries. The company is targeting a range of around 250 miles and speed of 150 mph.
“The airworthiness certification validates our efforts to develop a drive-and-fly eVTOL with an emphasis on safety,” commented Kaplinsky. “One of the significant advantages of a roadworthy eVTOL like the Aska A5 is that it does not require the modification or electrification of existing airports since it can maximize the use of today’s infrastructure, such as the many charging stations located around us.”
Aska, which has formerly traded under the name New Future Transportation, is marketing the A5 to holders of private pilot licenses for personal use and also commercial pilots who might choose to operate the vehicle for air taxi services. In January, Aska announced its intention to support on-demand ridesharing flights from 2026 with commercial pilots renting aircraft with the intention of picking up passengers for hire using an app developed by Aska. The proposed business model does not appear to fit current FAA regulations covering commercial air services provided by holders of an air operator certificate.
According to Aska, it has registered around $50 million worth of "pre-orders" for the A5 since it started taking reservations for the flying SUV in 2021.
