Hybrid-electric ultra-short take-off-and-landing developer Electra—a participant in the FAA’s new advanced air mobility (AAM) and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) Integration Pilot Program (eIPP)—is gearing up to revolutionize regional air mobility [original story appeared in The Fly Report - link below].

Electra’s CEO, Marc Allen, said: “We talk about direct aviation, which is the ‘Jetsons Dream’—being able to go from where you are to where you want to go, without long drives to an airport, TSA lines, and everything else. That’s what we’re building.”

Electra is the developer of the forthcoming EL9, an ultra-short hybrid-electric aircraft, which requires only 150 feet of runway space for takeoff and landing. It can carry nine passengers with 50lbs of baggage each (or 3,000lbs of cargo) on trips of between 50 and 500 nautical miles. This is more than required to travel from, for example, New York to Boston (214 miles).

For reference, 150 feet of runway is significantly less space than an American football field, which is 360 feet long and 160 feet wide. Traditional aircraft such as turboprops and very light jets (VLJs) require between 2,500 and 5,000 feet of runway. Of the more than 5,000 public-use airports in the U.S., a significant number have runways measuring 2,500 feet or more, and about 500 – 550 of them enable commercial air operations (think Delta, United, and American Airlines). 

Multiple Access Points

If we consider 150 feet of landing space sufficient for a ‘non-traditional’ runway, the number of existing ‘non-traditional’ airports, when coupled with potential new developments, increases dramatically. Put simply, the sort of accessibility, simplicity, and ease of use offered by Electra’s EL9—which is targeting commercial certification in late 2029 to 2030—could dramatically change the way we live and work in the U.S. and throughout the world.

Electra’s website states that ultra-short access points can include fields, parking lots, and underutilized runways, bringing air travel closer to where people live, work, and play. This, it says, will enable trips that were previously impractical or impossible, and expands economic opportunity to more communities.

“If you think about Washington D.C. and New York, it’s a four-hour door-to-door trip, but our airplane will make it two hours,” Allen explained. “Why? Because now you’ll be able to fly out of the heliport by Wall Street, and land in a parking lot at a mall, whether that’s in Tysons Corner or Bethesda, both close to D.C.” A trip from New York City to East Hampton, which may typically take 2.5–3.5 hours by car, could instead be accomplished in a 30-minute hop via the EL9.

Some of the infrastructure required for EL9 to begin to scale in NYC already exists in some unexpected places. For instance, downtown Manhattan’s heliport, which, in December 2024, became the domain of Downtown Skyport—a joint venture between AAM infrastructure provider Skyports Infrastructure and French airports operator Group ADP—already accommodates the 150 feet of runway takeoff and landing space needed for EL9 operations.

The ‘Rule of Six’

Allen believes the Electra’s EL9 will be key to the future of direct aviation, rooted in what he calls the ‘Rule of Six.’ This involves an aircraft original equipment manufacturer’s (OEMs) ability to provide the following:

• Access, similar to that provided for helicopters, i.e., no long runways
• Lower aviation noise
• Payload
• Range
• Affordability to reach a broad market
• Safety.

“Thus far, no one has been able to achieve all six together,” Allen explained, but he believes that Electra’s EL9 will change that. With respect to cost, the CASM (cost per available seat mile) for the aircraft is projected at $0.80 compares to about $2.60 for a traditional helicopter, and $1.90 for an eVTOL vehicle. “The economics are, quite frankly, amazing,” Allen said.

Electra currently maintains more than 2,200 aircraft on pre-order from more than 60 operators worldwide. In January, the company signed a pre-delivery payment (PDP) deposit agreement with Bristow Group, securing for Bristow the first delivery slot for the EL9.

“Electra’s EL9 fundamentally changes what regional air mobility can be,” said Dave Stepanek, Bristow’s Executive Vice President, Chief Transformation Officer. “Its ultra-short performance, quiet operation, and lower operating costs create opportunities that simply do not exist today. Securing delivery slot one and reserving delivery slots in the first year of production ensures Bristow will lead this new industry and bring AAM capabilities to our customers first.”

[*This article is an abridged version of the original story which appeared in The Fly Report. You can read the full article by clicking here.]