2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo: Flying Car Grounded After Components Detach in Mid-Flight
The Yomiuri Shimbun
A flying car during a demonstration flight at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo
OSAKA – Demonstrations of the highly anticipated 'flying car' at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo have been suspended following an incident on Saturday in which components of the aircraft detached during flight.
Marubeni Corp., the operator of the flights, announced the cancellation of Sunday's scheduled demonstration and said that operations would remain halted until safety can be assured.
According to Marubeni and the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, the incident occurred at about 3 p.m. on Saturday at the vertiport within the Expo site in Osaka City. During a demonstration of the Hexa, a single-seat vehicle manufactured by U.S.-based LIFT Aircraft Inc., parts of the vehicle broke off and fell to the landing area.
Specifically, one of the 18 propeller motors located on the upper part of the 4.5-meter-long, 2.4-meter-high vehicle malfunctioned, resulting in the detachment of two of its covers.
The vehicle landed safely, and the pilot was not injured. The demonstration was conducted within an area inaccessible to visitors.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
20-05-2025
- Japan Times
Osaka Expo to offer visitors cool rest area in electric bus from June
The organizer of the 2025 Osaka Expo said Monday that it will make an electric bus available at the expo site for visitors to rest in from early June. The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition hopes visitors will use the bus to avoid heatstroke in the summer heat. The vehicle will be the same model as Isuzu Motors' bus used in a shuttle service between the expo site and JR Sakurajima Station. With a capacity of 67 passengers and a fully flat floor, the electric bus will maintain an internal temperature of 25 degrees Celsius by running air conditioners powered by batteries charged at night.
Yomiuri Shimbun
18-05-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Suzuki Motor's Boil-in-the-Bag Curry to Hit Store Shelves; Recipe Popular Among Indian Employees at Company Cafeteria
The Yomiuri Shimbun A package of Suzuki Motor Corp.'s brown chickpea masala curry HAMAMATSU — A boil-in-the-bag version of the vegetarian curry developed for Indian employees of Suzuki Motor Corp. in Hamamatsu soon will hit store shelves. Suzuki, which employs many people from India, jointly developed authentic Indian vegetable curry for the company cafeteria with Torizen, a local company which operates restaurants and wedding halls in Hamamatsu. The curry has won favor among Indian employees who said it tastes like the cooking in their home country. Therefore, Suzuki decided to produce and sell boil-in-the-bag versions. Four different varieties of curry will go on sale, which are made with beans and other vegetables to suit the demands of people from India, where there are many vegetarians. One of the Suzuki curry varieties — brown chickpea masala curry — was given as a gift to guests at the memorial gathering for Osamu Suzuki, the former Suzuki chairman who passed away in December. The packages for the curry soon to go on sale will be adorned with illustrations of Suzuki vehicles, such as a Jimny four-wheel-drive car and a motorbike. 'Osamu Suzuki would often say India was his second home country. I hope many people will appreciate the authentic taste [of our Indian curry],' said a Suzuki employee. Suzuki Motor's curry for Indian employees to hit store shelves
The Mainichi
02-05-2025
- The Mainichi
News in Easy English: What happened to the 'flying cars' at Expo 2025 in Osaka?
Flying cars are popular at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. But there was an accident on April 26 during a demonstration flight. Here are simple questions and answers about flying cars at the event. Q: What are flying cars? A: Flying cars are special vehicles that can fly. They usually carry between one and five people. Some look like drones, and some look like airplanes. These cars cost less money to make than airplanes. They are also quieter than helicopters. Many companies around the world and in Japan are working hard to make them. People think flying cars will be very useful in the future. Q: Can visitors at the Expo ride in flying cars? A: No. Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura wanted visitors to ride in flying cars and pay money for it. But preparing everything safely was too difficult to do before the Expo started. Instead, Japanese companies SkyDrive Inc., Marubeni Corp. and ANA Holdings Inc. planned demonstration flights. The last two are working together with companies from other countries. Q: How do flying cars fly? A: The companies showed how these flying cars fly at Yumeshima island. Yumeshima is a man-made island in Osaka. On April 14, a flying car flew slowly about 10 meters above ground for about six minutes with one pilot. But on April 26, the flying car from Marubeni Corp. broke during its flight. It damaged one part of its body and one motor. Q: Will there still be flying car shows at the Expo? A: More flights were planned for Japan's Golden Week holidays in early May and on later weekends. But after the accident on April 26, the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition decided to stop the flights for now. They will check safety again before they start the flights once more. The organizers of the Expo think safety is the most important thing. (Japanese original by Takumi Fujikawa, Osaka City News Department) Vocabulary Expo: A big event where many countries or companies show new ideas and technology. demonstration flights: Test flights to show people how something works. artificial island: An island made by people, not by nature. motor: A machine that gives power to move or fly. organizers: People or groups who plan and run an event.
