The paper presents the design, development and testing activities of the multi-rotorcraft-based unmanned aerial vehicle at the Center for Unmanned System Studies, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Indonesia. The multi-rotor system was selected as the design stepping stone for future development of personal aerial vehicle prototypes. A step-by-step design program is conducted to study the technology building blocks and critical issues associated with the design, development and operation of personal aerial vehicles. A number of multi-rotor configurations have been investigated providing basic guidelines for developing a stable unmanned aerial platform. The benefit of the presently selected configuration is highlighted and some preliminary testing results are presented.