Most fixed-wing aircraft need a long runway. Electra, a Virginia company founded in 2019, says its design removes that requirement. Its planned electra el9 aircraft can take off or land within around 60 metres.
“The problem with normal fixed-wing aircraft is that they need a long runway to get into the air,” says Diana Siegel, vice president of commercial programmes at Electra. “It’s very hard to place that runway anywhere near where people want to go.”
Electra calls this capability “Ultra Short.” The company based the approach on a technology first proposed in the 1950s, and it has revisited it to build the electra el9 aircraft with Ultra Short capabilities.
Its two-seat demonstration aircraft, the EL2 Goldfinch, recently took off and landed on a floating helicopter barge off Lower Manhattan. From a distance, the Goldfinch looks like a conventional light aircraft. Up close, it carries eight propellers.
The propellers drive a technique called blown lift. Air is pushed quickly over the upper surface of the wing. The wing then behaves as if it were much larger, and it generates far more lift at low speed.
The result is a short takeoff run. Military designers explored the same principle in the 1950s and 1960s. Lockheed’s F-104 Starfighter used it to offset its small wings. The Blackburn Buccaneer used it to support operations from aircraft carriers.
Blown lift also allows a very low approach speed. That means an aircraft can land over a far shorter distance than a conventional aeroplane needs.
Siegel says engineers understood the effect for decades. Conventional engines could not deliver it in practice. “Imagine trying to place eight turbines or piston engines along a wing,” she says. “It would be too heavy, too slow.”
How the electra el9 aircraft’s hybrid system works
A hybrid propulsion system made the concept workable. Compact, lightweight electric motors generate the lift. They also spread that lift evenly along the length of the wing.
Electric propulsion is changing how far people expect to travel on the road too, as seen in Range Rover Electric’s 550 HP and 372-mile range, which shows how much battery power now matters for long trips.
During cruise, a nose-mounted turbogenerator burns sustainable aviation fuel. It powers the propellers directly for efficient speed, and it recharges the batteries at the same time. Because the aircraft carries its own charge, landing sites need no charging equipment.
Electra has selected a 96-acre site in Ohio for its production facility. The company plans to begin test flights of the electra el9 aircraft late next year. The EL9 is designed to carry nine passengers.
Siegel says the concept can scale further. Beyond about 100 passengers, she concedes, the established airport system makes more logistical sense. Smaller short takeoff aircraft fit the Ultra Short model far better.
Why not a helicopter?
Helicopters already reach many places without runways. Siegel points to three drawbacks. Current models carry fewer passengers. They are much louder, which limits their use in towns and cities. They also demand more energy and maintenance than a fixed-wing aircraft.
Siegel argues that a blown-wing aircraft, such as the electra el9 aircraft, costs less per seat. Lower operating costs could widen the range of routes an operator can serve. They could also make flying affordable for more people.
The model also challenges the hub-and-spoke network that has defined commercial airline travel for decades. Electra believes many travellers would choose a direct, point-to-point flight if one existed. “We think it can transform how we travel over distances that are too long to drive, but too short to make it worth going to an airport,” Siegel says. “We’re not just talking about saving an hour on a driving trip, but perhaps four hours.”
Electra’s own analysis puts the scale of the opportunity in numbers. The company estimates that 35 million passenger trips take place by car every day in the US. Those trips cover 50 to 500 miles. Electra also found that 80 percent of trips between 50 and 265 flying miles have no practical air option today. The company has identified more than 6,000 routes with at least 1,000 travellers per day.
The US is the first target market, where long drives are common. Electra says the concept should also suit any corridor with a clear travel gap, such as routes affected by heavy congestion.
Long-distance journeys are also being rethought from the cabin outward, with Dominic Wilcox’s autonomous sleeper car concept, a playful look at how travel time could feel very different.
Siegel cites London to Oxford as an example of a journey that could be shortened. She also points to London to the Scottish Highlands, a route that could appeal to tourists. In the longer term, she sees potential for a premium on-demand service she calls “push a button, get a flight.” Electra’s launch partners, however, want to start with scheduled services.
Passenger acceptance remains the final hurdle, Siegel says. Electra could have built an aircraft that looks radically different. It chose a design that feels closer to what passengers already know.
Siegel says the experience should feel familiar. “From the passenger point of view it feels remarkably unremarkable,” she says. “It’s rather like riding an elevator. You feel a lot of power beneath you and then you’re just up and away very quickly.”
Electra, known online as Electra.Aero, now has to prove that a short-runway aircraft can carry paying passengers on routes that people currently drive. The electra el9 aircraft test flights will show whether the idea works at that scale.
Source: wallpaper.com
Frequently asked questions
How short a runway does the electra el9 need?
The electra el9 can take off or land within around 60 metres, so it does not need a long runway. Electra calls this capability “Ultra Short.”
What is blown lift in the electra el9 aircraft?
Blown lift is a technique where propellers push air quickly over the upper surface of the wing. The wing then behaves as if it were much larger and generates far more lift at low speed, which produces a short takeoff run.
How does the electra el9 hybrid system work?
Compact, lightweight electric motors generate the lift and spread it evenly along the wing. During cruise, a nose-mounted turbogenerator burns sustainable aviation fuel to power the propellers directly and recharge the batteries at the same time.
How many passengers can the electra el9 carry?
The EL9 is designed to carry nine passengers. Siegel says the concept can scale further, but beyond about 100 passengers the established airport system makes more logistical sense.
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