European major Airbus has chosen Sanskrit word ‘Vahana’ (meaning vehicle) for what might be the future of urban mobility — a self-piloted, vertical take off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The aircraft manufacturer completed the first full-scale test flight of Vahana in Oregon, US, on January 31, describing it a “milestone in advancing urban air mobility”.
Airbus started the project in 2016 with an aim to provide “personal flight”. “The aircraft we’re building doesn’t need a runway, is self-piloted, and can automatically detect and avoid obstacles and other aircraft.
Designed to carry a single passenger or cargo, we’re aiming to make it the first certified passenger aircraft without a pilot. We aim to fly a full-size prototype before the end of 2017, and to have a productizable demonstrator by 2020,” a write-up on the Vahana website says.