Electra has completed a series of flight demonstrations in Virginia, testing its fixed-wing Ultra Short aircraft using helicopter-style instrument procedures and non-traditional take-off and landing locations. The flights were conducted under the FAA’s Advanced Air Mobility Integration Pilot Program and are intended to support future operations of Electra’s EL9 Ultra Short aircraft.
The demonstrations included operations from small heliports, vertiports, taxiways and other access points that have traditionally been used by helicopters. Testing took place at several Virginia locations, including Virginia Tech/Montgomery Regional Airport, Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport and Allan C. Perkinson/Blackstone Army Airfield, along with additional sites in Newport News and Richmond.
Electra used its EL2 Ultra Short technology demonstrator for the flights. The aircraft operated using point-in-space instrument procedures and dedicated instrument routings developed through the Virginia Smart Airspace Program. These procedures are intended to enable fixed-wing Ultra Short aircraft to use access points that conventional airplanes generally cannot reach.
The programme has involved more than a year of development involving Electra, the FAA, Virginia Tech, the Virginia Department of Aviation and other partners. During the testing, operational data was collected to compare aircraft performance with procedure requirements and help inform future fixed-wing Advanced Air Mobility operations.
According to Electra, the demonstrations are designed to show how Ultra Short aircraft could operate at major airports without relying exclusively on conventional runways. The company is developing an operating concept called Direct Aviation, which aims to provide regional air connectivity closer to passengers by using underutilised airport surfaces and alternative landing areas.
Electra CEO Marc Allen said the Virginia flights demonstrated that fixed-wing Ultra Short aircraft can use vertical-flight landing areas and new instrument procedures to reach locations that conventional aircraft were not designed to access. The company sees this approach as a way to expand regional connectivity while reducing pressure on congested airport runways.
The EL9 is designed as a hybrid-electric aircraft intended to combine the accessibility of helicopter operations with the characteristics of fixed-wing flight. Electra says its Ultra Short technology is intended to support short-field operations while delivering lower operating costs and reduced noise compared with conventional regional aviation solutions.
Tombo Jones, Director of Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, said practical flight testing is important for generating the operational data needed to integrate new aircraft types safely and repeatedly into the airspace system.
The latest demonstrations represent another step in the development of Advanced Air Mobility infrastructure, particularly the procedures, airport access points and airspace integration required for future hybrid-electric aircraft operations.
