At 5 p.m. on June 24th, the "David" model, a specialized light-person-carrying e VTOL vehicle developed by Shenzhen Sky Flight, successfully completed its maiden flight at the Sky Flight Zhongshan Fusha R&D base. This marks that our company's eVTOL product, which is being developed for low-altitude tourism scenarios in scenic spots, has officially entered the stage of practical testing and verification. Sky Flight, with its research concept of "safety genes running through the entire process", has set a new benchmark for safety and experience in the low-altitude equipment intelligent manufacturing industry.

Exclusive configuration for tourism and culture, with a balance of security and experience hidden within the parameters.

    In May 2025, at the World Drone Conference, the positioning of Sky Flight's "lightweight sports configuration + customized design for tourism scenarios" has attracted industry attention. As a representative enterprise specializing in low-altitude applications in the tourism sector, Sky Flight has successfully deployed a medical logistics drone network in Shenzhen and has been operating safely for over three and a half years. It is one of the first enterprises in Shenzhen to obtain the recognition of Civil Aviation Department 92. Since last year, the company has implemented an upgrade from logistics scenarios to manned scenarios and proposed the design plan for the manned small eVTOL David. Every parameter of David has undergone dual verification of "safety redundancy" and "tourism experience":

   

The maximum takeoff weight is 216 kilograms, with a maximum payload of 100 kilograms, which precisely meets the carrying capacity requirements for one passenger to have an on-site flight experience. The simple cabin space maintains a sense of movement and low-altitude flight experience. 

Maximum flight speed: 80 km/h. Combined with a maximum flight duration of 20 minutes, it is suitable for low-altitude tour routes within and around the scenic area, with a radius of 10 km - This speed enables tourists to enjoy the flight and overlook the scenery with ease, and is much lower than the cruising speed of conventional aircraft, significantly reducing the difficulty of responding to emergencies. 

The three modes - ground remote control flight, onboard manual flight, and automatic route flight - can be flexibly switched. It not only supports professional pilots' operation but also enables automated tours through preset routes. The two modes serve as backups for each other, further strengthening the safety defense line. 

From May 23rd to 25th, 2025, the David physical aircraft made its debut at the 9th World Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Conference in China (Shenzhen). Its design concept of "safety commitment centered on operation" has been widely recognized by the operators of scenic areas. From the time of its completion to its maiden flight, excluding the debugging time related to the exhibition, the actual research and development period lasted for 365 days. And this "efficiency" is the inevitable result of the team placing safety verification in front of every design stage.

 Safety is not an add-on; it is the fundamental logic at the core of the technical architecture.

   "Make safety an instinct, not a choice" - This is the slogan hung on the wall of the R&D center by the Sky Racer team, and it is also the core principle of the David spacecraft from design blueprint to its maiden flight. The successful maiden flight this time once again verifies the team's three core capabilities of integrating safety culture into the system design, including redundant flight control and power, highly reliable and low-latency connections, and active obstacle avoidance AI algorithms.

 Full-Chain Security Intelligent System: From "Passive Protection" to "Active Warning"

   The safety intelligent system of the Sky Racer David is entirely independently developed and stands on its own. It can be regarded as the "safety textbook" for "low-altitude aircraft systems" in China at present.

   AI-driven active obstacle avoidance: Equipped with its independently developed intelligent recognition algorithm, through the onboard camera and the 24GHz ultrasonic ranging module, it can promptly identify birds, kites, and low-altitude obstacles, and in conjunction with the path planning system, adjust the flight path 100 meters in advance.

   

Multiple redundant flight control design: Adopting the "full backup redundancy" architecture - the flight control core chip uses NXP i.MX RT1062DVL6A (with a 600MHz main frequency Arm Cortex-M7 core, supporting single-precision floating-point operations), along with 1MB RAM and 8MB Flash, ensuring the stability of real-time data processing; at the same time, the three-axis MEMS gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetoresistive sensor form a "multi-sensor cross-validation network". In case of any abnormality in any device, the system can switch to the backup module within 0.1 seconds. 

Dual emergency protection: The rear of the aircraft is equipped with a parachute, and the fuselage is fitted with safety airbags. The former can ensure the entire aircraft to make a smooth landing in extreme situations, while the latter cushions the impact during landing, providing a three-dimensional protection of "air - ground".

 The "safety genes" of the flight control system: Three-level protection from chips to the cloud

  As the "brain" of the eVTOL, the flight control system of the David vessel has incorporated safety culture into every line of code and every hardware interface:

   

Airborne end: The main processor and the flight control attitude module MCU operate in deep collaboration. Through the PWM protocol, they precisely control the rotational speeds of 8 motors. Combined with the IMU sensor and GPS positioning, the flight attitude is constantly corrected in real time - even for a tilt of 0.5 degrees, the system will automatically adjust the power output. 

Ground end: Primarily used during the debugging phase, as well as in scenarios where the operation mode of the running system is permitted. The 2.4G/5.8GHz image transmission system and the 4/5G communication module form the "air-ground data link". The ground station can receive real-time flight parameters (such as battery power, motor temperature, and attitude angle). Once any abnormalities are detected, it can immediately issue intervention instructions. 

Cloud: This is mainly used during the regular flight phases of the routes, in accordance with the flight operation mode approved by the CCAR92 regulations of civil aviation. Relying on the "Sky Express Intelligent Connected Unmanned Aircraft Operation System" (which has obtained computer software copyright registration), all flight data is uploaded to the cloud in real time. The AI algorithm automatically analyzes potential risks, such as predicting the endurance capacity through the battery voltage curve, reminding to return 3 minutes in advance, and maintaining a minimum 30% power redundancy for the landing unmanned aircraft.

 Preceding the airworthiness standards: Conducting research and development with "regulatory thinking"

   

The team is well aware that the highest level of safety is "compliance with rules, exceeding rules, guiding rules, and respecting rules". Since its inception, the David vessel has been firmly committed to meeting the requirements of the maritime certification process: 

Strictly following the standards such as CCAR-21 "Civil Aviation Product and Component Certification Regulations" and AC-21-AA-2015-25R1 "Advisory Guidelines for the Airworthiness Management of Light Sport Aircraft", the "certification requirements" are broken down into 66 specific technical indicators; 

The airworthiness preparations have been initiated. It is planned that the airworthiness review center will officially accept the application by the end of December 2025, and obtain the type certification certificate (TC) by the end of December 2026. As the team's chief engineer, Mr. Yan, said: "We are not doing safety just to 'pass the review'. The end-to-end data security and control security of the SkyRider are inherently in line with all the requirements of the review." Mr. Xie Xuejun, the company's CEO, added, "We hope to achieve that the SkyRider brand itself is synonymous with safety."

Reconstruct the travel experience of culture and tourism, and safety is the best "ticket"

   

"The maiden flight of the David vehicle is not the end, but the starting point of the 'safe ecosystem' for low-altitude tourism." The person in charge of Sky Rides emphasized at the maiden flight ceremony. Currently, the team has reached cooperation agreements with several well-known scenic spots and plans to launch the "air tour dedicated line" demonstration operation in the spring of 2026. 

From parameter design to system architecture, from hardware redundancy to algorithm logic, the David vessel proves with every detail that safety is not just a slogan, but a culture deeply integrated into the bloodstream of the research and development process - when tourists sit in the cabin and overlook the mountains and rivers, the invisible "safety net" has already been deployed. This, perhaps, is the most appropriate form that low-altitude cultural tourism equipment should take. 

(Declaration: This article aims to convey the technological advancements in low-altitude aircraft equipment, and does not constitute investment advice. The product parameters are subject to the official announcements of the enterprises.)