Aska, the California-based developer of the Aska A5 road-able electric-hybrid VTOL aircraft, is successfully progressing through its tethered unmanned flight tests with its full-scale prototype.

These flights took place in a private airfield in California. Since the renewal of its special airworthiness certificate this past July, the A5 performed the unmanned tethered flights at a low altitude while loosely tethered to the ground. During the flights, Aska engineers measured flight and system parameters to verify thrust, flight control, electric and thermal system performance, to include vibration and temperature parameters. The ongoing flight testing has also enabled the company to perform extensive fine tuning of the flight control systems to improve manoeuvrability and stability while minimising the influence of ground effects. To date, Aska has conducted over 350 successful tethered flight tests.

The Aska A5 prototype received its initial special airworthiness certification in July 2023. Under its current special airworthiness certificate and its certificate of waiver or authorisation, the A5 will fly untethered up to 200ft above ground level, as well as being capable to perform vertical take offs and landings, and hovering. The completion of these flights will be Stage 1, and conventional flight and transitioning from vertical to horizontal flight will then follow.

In addition to flight testing, the Aska A5 prototype has successfully completed more than 500 miles of road testing; the A5 is the size of an SUV while in drive mode. It has also completed ‘drive to flight’ transition testing while on the ground.

The four-seater Aska A5 makes maximum use of existing infrastructure, such as charging stations, airfields, helipads and runways, and can operate with today's infrastructure. The A5 also offers ‘first and last mile transportation’, enabling it to seamlessly integrate into existing air and ground infrastructure