Inventor tests single-seat electric flying vehicle prototype in Uttarakhand
- Ravi Tamta’s HAPIDA SKYNeX prototype has completed an early test flight, drawing attention to a possible mountain mobility solution.
A single-seater electric flying-vehicle prototype developed by the startup Hapida Sky has been test-flown in Almora, Uttarakhand. Videos of the early flight have circulated on social media, and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also shared the clip on X. The product is a home-grown effort aimed at improving travel in hilly regions. The machine, called HAPIDA SKYNeX, is being presented as a personal aerial vehicle based on modified drone technology.
Ravi Tamta, who hails from Kaflikhan village in Almora, says the project began with a simple problem seen across mountain areas: poor road connectivity over short distances. According to local reports, a journey of around 40 kilometres between his village and home can take nearly 90 minutes by road.
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Tamta’s idea is to reduce that travel time sharply. In his view, a personal flying vehicle could complete the same distance in about 10 to 15 minutes. That goal appears to have shaped the first version of the prototype, which has now been tested on open ground in Almora.
Early test flight
The flight trial was carried out by Tamta and his team as part of the project’s initial evaluation. He has described the work as the result of years of experimentation, with the team adapting existing drone technology so that it can lift and carry a person.
The prototype has attracted notice not only because of the concept, but also because of where it was developed. Tamta has denied claims that the flying vehicle was imported from China. In a statement to a reporter, he invited him to visit his manufacturing unit, suggesting the work is being done locally.
Electric setup, limited details
HAPIDA SKYNeX is being described as a fully electric personal flying vehicle. It uses a compact multi-rotor design inspired by drone technology, with a single-seat layout intended to keep the first version focused on the basic challenges of lift, balance and controlled flight.
At this stage, however, the team has not made public key specifications such as battery capacity, flight duration, speed, payload capacity or charging time. That means the prototype remains at an early development stage, even as the first flight has drawn public interest.
For now, the project sits somewhere between local innovation and a proof-of-concept. If further testing progresses successfully, the machine could become part of a broader conversation about new transport options for remote and difficult terrain. But the current focus remains on development, testing and whether the design can move beyond an experimental prototype.
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