Manned Flying Car Makes 1st Outdoor Flight in Japan

Osaka, March 14 (Jiji Press)--Japan's first pilot-operated outdoor flight of a flying car was successfully conducted in the western city of Osaka on Tuesday. The one-seater flying car made by Lift Aircraft Inc. of the United States flew for about 10 minutes. During the flight, it hovered some 8 meters above the ground and then circled. Japanese trading house Marubeni Corp. <8002> carried out the test flight at the baseball ground in Osaka Castle Park in cooperation with the city and prefectural governments of Osaka. Flying cars are expected to be put into commercial use at the 2025 Osaka Expo. Masatoshi Kumagai, chairman and CEO of major Japanese information technology firm GMO Internet Group Inc. <9449>, one of the pilots, told reporters after the landing that flying cars "will make a dream of mankind come true." "I hope from the bottom of my heart that (flying cars) will be put into practical use at the Expo and do great," he continued. Marubeni has been picked as a flying car operator along with other companies including air carriers ANA Holdings Inc. <9202> and Japan Airlines <9201>. The manned outdoor test flight will provide data about noise levels and wind effects on which flight routes to link the event site and a flying car port outside the city and safety measures will be considered. END