Honda hits milestone with successful first eVTOL aircraft flight

At the beginning of April, a successful flight test was conducted in San Luis Obispo County, California, for Honda’s (Tokyo, Japan) full-scale eVTOL technology demonstrator, called F1. The first flight lasted about 90 seconds.

The automaker began R&D efforts in 2020, with plans to enter the eVTOL market announced in 2021 coinciding with the hybrid aircraft concept launch. This most recent flight is the culmination of more than 400 flight tests conducted using sub-scale models, Honda reports.

The full-scale demonstrator, weighing ≈7,000 pounds, is equipped with eight rotors for vertical takeoff and landing and two rotors for propulsion. It features a gas turbine hybrid power unit and makes use of Honda’s “expertise in lightweight structures and production technologies unique only to aircraft,” reports urbanairmobility.com. The eVTOL will have a range of 400 kilometers.

Following the flight, Honda is advancing to its full-scale validation phase. U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification for the eVTOL’s airframe and engine has already been achieved per a Dubai Air Show 2025 briefing.

A 2030s service into entry targeting intercity passenger transport to complement business jet and helicopter use case has been reported.