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From an Uttarakhand Village to the Sky: Ravi Tamta Builds a Flying Vehicle
A young innovator from Uttarakhand successfully tested a single-seater electric flying vehicle designed to make travel in hilly areas much faster.
A young innovator from Uttarakhand has successfully tested a single-seater electric flying vehicle that could one day make travel in hilly areas much faster.
Ravi Tamta, from Kaflikhan village in Almora district, has developed the prototype through his startup, Hapida Sky. A Mechanical Engineering graduate from Government Polytechnic Nainital, he has also worked in the manufacturing and electronics industry.
His flying vehicle, called HAPIDA SKYNeX, uses modified drone or multicopter technology. It can take off vertically, making it suitable for areas where roads are long and winding.
Ravi says he wanted to solve a major problem faced by people living in the mountains. A journey of around 40 kilometres that usually takes about 90 minutes by road could potentially take only around 10 minutes through the air.
On 7 August 2026, Ravi carried out the first test flight of the prototype in Almora. He sat inside the vehicle during the test as it lifted off the ground, stayed in the air for nearly one minute and landed safely. The test was conducted under official supervision with safety arrangements in place, and videos of the flight later went viral.
Almora District Magistrate Anshul Singh and Senior Superintendent of Police Chandrashekhar R. Ghodke were present during the demonstration. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu also congratulated Ravi on the achievement.
However, the vehicle is still only a prototype. It will need more testing, safety checks, technical improvements and government approvals before it can be used by the public.
This is not Ravi’s first invention. He has earlier developed mobile-chargeable shoes, a smart bamboo stick, a bamboo-splitting machine, a tyre-puncture solution and an electric-vehicle charging system.
Ravi says his goal is to use science and technology to make life easier for people living in villages and hilly areas. While HAPIDA SKYNeX is still in its early stages, the successful test flight marks an important step towards that vision.