2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Electra has finished a fully integrated test of the proprietary hybrid-electric propulsion system for its electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft, the Virginia-based company reported Wednesday. Electra continues to work on integrating the hybrid system into its piloted technology demonstrator, which is expected to test <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/electra-estol">Electra’s eSTOL</a> short takeoff and landing performance and fuel burn savings. The company&nbsp;first developed the technology for its nine-passenger eSTOL aircraft and plans to scale it for use in larger aircraft.
Backed by a significant undisclosed investment <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-01-18/lockheed-martin-backs-hybrid-electric-estol-aircraft-developer-electra">from Lockheed Martin Ventures</a>&nbsp;that was announced in January, Electra subsequently accelerated ground testing of the 150-kW hybrid-electric propulsion system for a subscale, two-seat eSTOL technology demonstrator that it plans to start flight testing before the end of the year. Designed to carry nine passengers or 1,800 pounds (820 kg) of freight on flights ranging up to 500 miles (800 km), the blown-lift eSTOL aircraft has drawn sales commitments from helicopter operations group Bristow and charter flight booking platforms <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-02-10/asian-flight-booking-platform-yugo-commits-electras-estol-aircraft">Yugo</a>, <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-10-01/electra-collects-major-purchase-commitments-flapper-skyportz">Flapper</a>, and <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-12-15/electra-signs-conditional-order-100-estol-aircraft-germanys-flyv">Flyv</a>.&nbsp;
Electra calls hybrid-electric propulsion its first step on a path to zero-emissions air mobility and the only sustainable technology that can meet range requirements for the regional air mobility market. The company designed its eSTOL aircraft to adopt hydrogen and battery-electric propulsion systems when those technologies become commercially viable. To support those long-range goals, Electra has partnered with hydrogen fuel cell developer Plug Power.
“Tightly coupling airframe and propulsion systems is the hallmark of Electra’s unique and scalable approach to providing net-zero emissions for regional and transport-category aircraft by 2050,” noted Electra vice president and general manager JP Stewart. “Electra’s eSTOL aircraft uses this patent-pending technology for the urban and regional aircraft market, allowing a reduction of the five billion tons of CO2 created by inefficient ground transport in personal cars every year.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Testing of the hybrid-electric system took place at Electra's propulsion development facility in Switzerland. Electra's hybrid system uses a combination of high-power battery packs and a turbogenerator to power eight electric motors and propellers.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Electra Completes Test of Hybrid-electric Engine for eSTOL Aircraft

Two companies pioneering the development of hybrid-electric eSTOL aircraft are joining forces, with Electra set to acquire Airflow. Announcing the unexpected deal during the Up.Partners industry meeting in Bentonville, Arkansas, on June 8, Electra said it will integrate the California&nbsp;start-up’s workforce, as well as combine letters of intent for their respective blown-lift designs, which it reports now cover almost 800 aircraft.
At face value, the Electra and Airflow aircraft are fairly similar in terms of projected short-takeoff and landing performance. The companies say that both product lines will continue to be developed by the combined venture, albeit perhaps for different applications.
Electra says its model will be able to carry up to nine passengers or 1,800 pounds of freight on sectors of up to around 500 miles, with the ability to operate from no more than 300 feet of runway. The company expects to be ready to start test flights with a two-seat technology demonstrator by the end of 2022.
Airflow is working on two versions of its proposed aircraft, both of which could be operated by a single pilot. One version would have eight to 10 passenger seats, a 2,000-pound payload, a 500-mile range, and the ability to land and take&nbsp;off from just 200 feet of runway. A smaller model would have a 500-pound payload and&nbsp;250-mile range&nbsp;and be able to operate from a runway of only&nbsp;150&nbsp;feet.
Electra has not disclosed how much it has paid to acquire its fellow eSTOL start-up with funds made available through an investment it received from Lockheed Martin earlier this year. The merged venture will seek to attract other investors, but it has not yet been determined on what basis this will be done. “As we grow our investor base, we’re looking at lots of options out there,” said Electra founder and CEO John Langford, when asked whether an initial public offering might be in the cards. “One of our philosophies is that we are in this for the long haul. It’s not an 18-month payback;&nbsp;we want to be a mature and serious start-up.”
Both Langford and Airflow co-founder and CEO Marc Ausman have previously been involved with eVTOL aircraft projects—the former with Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences, and the latter with Airbus’s Vahana unit. Ausman will now serve as Electra’s chief product officer.
According to Langford, eSTOL aircraft have greater potential to transform air transportation, at least until battery technology advances exponentially. <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-02-28/how-electra-plans-deliver-fixed-wing-payload-and-range-helicopter-habitats">Electra</a> claims its aircraft will deliver two and a half times the payload and 10 times the range of vertical takeoff rivals, with 70 percent lower operating costs.
“The experience [of testing battery-powered aircraft] convinced us that physics and the economics both strongly favor a solution that uses a wing throughout the full flight versus a rotor-borne vertical takeoff and transition,” Ausman said. “Distributed electric propulsion allows us to take off and land within two vehicle lengths to access parking-lot-sized spaces. This solution offers not only lower costs but a much more straightforward path to certification than vertical lift variants.”
Beyond the short-term plans to use hybrid-electric propulsion, the Electra team&nbsp;and their new colleagues from Airflow&nbsp;want to introduce carbon-free alternatives. Airflow’s engineers will be taking the lead to advance plans for hydrogen propulsion, based on their existing collaboration with fuel cell specialist PlugPower.
Between them, Electra and Airflow hold provisional sales agreements covering almost 800 of their respective eSTOL aircraft. Electra holds commitments from flight booking platforms Yugo, Flapper, and <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-02-28/how-electra-plans-deliver-fixed-wing-payload-and-range-helicopter-habitats">Flyv</a>, as well as helicopter group Bristow, while Airflow’s 11 prospective customers include Tailwind and U.S. regional airline Ravn Alaska. Airflow has been working on plans for both amphibious and freight-carrying versions of its aircraft.
“There are dozens of aspiring entrants in the advanced air mobility market,” Langford said. “The acquisition of Airflow complements Electra’s team, our sales pipeline, and our technology portfolio, which will allow customers to select the best solution for their needs in a rapidly expanding market.
The two companies started discussing the deal just a few months ago and signed an agreement on June 2. Langford pointed to Textron’s recent acquisition of Pipistrel as evidence that electric aviation is moving into the industry’s mainstream. “That showed that this is the coming of age for electric airplane companies,” he concluded.
&nbsp;

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Electra and Airflow Join Forces to Bring eSTOL Aircraft Family to Market

The United States Air Force has awarded Electra and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) a small business technology transfer contract to advance the development of flight control systems for Electra’s hybrid-electric ultra-short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft. Under the STTR Phase II contract, Electra and MIT plan to collaborate in an effort to speed the development of enhanced precision flight control systems for repeatable low-speed, ultra-STOL landings that would allow Electra to safely operate its eSTOL aircraft in spaces no larger than a soccer field. Electra plans to demonstrate the flight control system on a full-scale hybrid eSTOL technology demonstrator aircraft during flight testing later this year. 
The STTR award follows a Phase I contract last year, under which the Electra-MIT team developed an eSTOL aeropropulsive model, a vehicle sizing tool, and a flight control performance simulation. “We are delighted to continue working with MIT and the U.S. Air Force to develop state-of-the-art flight control systems for ultra-STOL aircraft,” said Chris Courtin, Electra’s lead engineer of flight physics and controls. “Reliable precision landings are key to Electra’s ability to deliver runway-independent operations with increased payload, range, and safety for both military and commercial uses.”
Electra's eSTOL aircraft can operate from spaces as small as 300-by-100 feet using its patent-pending distributed electric propulsion and blown lift technology. A small turbine-powered generator recharges the batteries mid-flight, eliminating the need for new ground charging infrastructure. The quieter and more environmentally friendly aircraft under development would transport up to 1,800 pounds of cargo or move nine passengers up to 500 miles. Electra expects its aircraft to operate in a variety of environments ranging from busy urban areas to remote landing strips, and fly missions ranging from on-demand passenger flights to cargo transportation, search and rescue operations, and medical missions. The company expects to bring the vehicle to market in 2026.
The Virginia-based start-up says the production aircraft it aims to bring to market in 2026 is larger than the concept it proposed in 2020, with the changes having been prompted by discussions with provisional launch customers that collectively have signed letters of intent calling for deliveries of almost 300 aircraft. When Electra first conceived its eSTOL vehicle, plans called for no more than a two-seater, but the design has evolved in response to customer interest, and the company now sees a nine-seater suitable for single-pilot operations as covering a regulatory and market sweet spot. 
Backed by a significant undisclosed investment from Lockheed Martin Ventures announced in January, Electra has been ground testing a 150-kW hybrid-electric propulsion system for a subscale, two-seat eSTOL technology demonstrator based on its original plan. It plans&nbsp;to start flight testing the demonstrator before the end of this year. 
&nbsp;

USAF Backs  Electra-MIT Team's Work on Flight Controls For eSTOL Aircraft

Backed by a significant undisclosed investment from Lockheed Martin Ventures that was announced in January, Electra has been stepping up ground testing of the 150-kW hybrid-electric propulsion system it is developing. The system is for a subscale, two-seat eSTOL technology demonstrator that Electra plans&nbsp;to start flight testing before the end of 2022. The Virginia-based start-up says the production aircraft it aims to bring to market in 2026 is larger than the concept it proposed in 2020, with the changes having been prompted by discussions with provisional launch customers that collectively have signed letters of intent (LOIs) calling for deliveries of almost 300 aircraft.
Early commitments for the blown-lift eSTOL model that is now expected to carry up to nine passengers or 1,800 pounds of freight on sectors of up to around 500 miles have come from companies including helicopter operations group Bristow and charter flight booking platforms Yugo, Flapper, and Flyv. Acknowledging the contingent nature of most announced sales in the advanced air mobility sector, Electra founder and CEO John Langford told FutureFlight that at this stage it is the constructive input on the product concept that is the most valuable contribution to a new program. “There are no financial ties but what matters is that these LOIs make both sides think about how these aircraft can be used in practice, and that drives [understanding of] a lot of user requirements,” he explained.
When Electra's vehicle was first conceived, it was no more than a two-seater, but the design has evolved in response to customer interest, and the company now feels a nine-seater suitable for single-pilot operations is a regulatory and market sweet spot. Prospective operators, which also have the option of investing in new eVTOL aircraft, have told Langford that they desire&nbsp;“helicopter-like operations with better than fixed-wing operating costs.”
The benchmark for this performance is the ability to use Manhattan’s Wall Street or 30th Street helipads, which offer the requisite 300-by-100-foot landing areas. “With a 50-foot wingspan, if you can make it in and out of Wall Street or 30th Street, you can make it anywhere,” Langford quipped, channeling Frank Sinatra’s ode to New York City.
In fact, the unnamed eSTOL model is being developed so that it could also operate from larger spaces of between 500 and 1,000 feet, in which case it could operate at higher gross weight and/or fly farther. In his mind’s eye, Langford sees operations in which cargo would be moved from one distribution center to another, using any suitable flat surface, and with convenient road and rail connections nearby. He also sees parking lot rooftop operations as a way to take passengers to and from sites such as shopping malls and resorts.
“Most of the new vertiport concepts that people show us are perfect for us,” he said. “OK, we can’t land on a single helipad, but almost no heliports have just one pad;&nbsp;most have two or three, which gives room for eSTOL operations. We’re looking to exploit extremely versatile operations with very low infrastructure requirements that don’t require huge investments.”
Electra feels that the provision of charging infrastructure for the batteries of new all-electric aircraft will prove to be more complex than some of its rivals believe. This, in part, is why it chose to go down the path of combining hybrid&nbsp;propulsion with its own blown-lift design as part of a strategy that Langford said reflects a desire to be&nbsp;“very disruptive within the scale of traditional aviation, and we’re big believers on being infrastructure-light.”
In his view, decarbonizing aviation is now imperative to ensure that air transport has a sustainable future. “But it will be a long process that has to be done within the confines of an industry that has achieved high levels of safety and is resistant to doing anything that could change these,” he told FutureFlight.
The testbed for the hybrid propulsion system is near the Swiss capital Bern.&nbsp;After proving&nbsp;its take on the blown lift aerodynamics with wind-testing and computational fluid dynamic evaluations of a one-third scale model, the company has turned most of its&nbsp;focus over the past year or so to the propulsion system. The demonstrator powertrain uses an unspecified turbine as a turbogenerator and combines this with a gearbox and power rectifier.
The fact that several of Electra’s prospective early eSTOL adopters are flight booking platforms begs the question regarding&nbsp;who will actually own and operate the aircraft that are delivered since these ride-hailing groups typically market services provided by operating partners. Langford confirmed that the LOI agreements envisage on-demand charter flights that will involve partnerships with service providers that still need to be defined in detail. “Leasing companies will have to get into this business because these aircraft are very mobile assets that will likely be operated by lightly capitalized companies,” he concluded.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

How Electra Plans To Deliver Fixed-wing Payload and Range in Helicopter Habitats

Private flight booking platform Yugo&nbsp;plans&nbsp;to add Electra's&nbsp;hybrid-electric eSTOL aircraft to its network. Under a&nbsp;memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed this week, the Singapore-based company intends to take 12 of the fixed-wing aircraft, which will be incorporated into the fleets of its partner operators in the Asia-Pacific region.&nbsp;
In February 10 announcement, the companies said they will work together to expand air mobility options for urban and regional services with an aircraft designed to operate from runways&nbsp;no more than 300 feet long and 100 feet wide. Electra envisages its blown-wing eSTOL design being able to use parking lots and remote, unprepared landing strips, carrying up to nine passengers or 1,800 pounds of freight on sectors of up to 500 miles&nbsp;in IFR and VFR weather.
“Advanced air mobility holds exciting promise to meet the transportation challenges of the Asia-Pacific region, with its densely populated cities and dispersed island communities amid the fastest-growing economy in the world,” said Electra.aero founder and CEO John S. Langford.
Electra said it now holds sales&nbsp;commitments for nearly 300 aircraft from companies in North America, Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The unnamed model will include a turbine engine that can recharge batteries inflight to avoid the need for charging infrastructure on the ground.
With an eye toward providing services in the advanced air mobility space, Yugo offers&nbsp;on-demand charter, air ambulance, and cargo flights through a network of private jets and helicopters in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, America, and Africa. Its current partner fleet includes types such as the Cessna Citation and the Gulfstream G650ER.
“Yugo is committed to providing convenient, safe, and efficient urban and regional air mobility services to our members and customers,” said&nbsp; CEO Jim Baldy. “With Electra's versatile and sustainable eSTOL aircraft, we will be able to provide our business and tourism customers unparalleled flight solutions and expand our service to previously underserved or inaccessible locations, while also protecting fragile environments.”

Asian Flight Booking Platform Yugo Commits to Electra's eSTOL Aircraft

The U.S. Air Force is supporting the development of Electra’s hybrid-electric eSTOL aircraft through a Phase III small business innovation research (SBIR) contract.&nbsp;The new agreement, which falls under the Air Force’s Agility Prime program to evaluate military applications for new aircraft, follows Phase II support for work on the propulsion system.
According to Virginia-based Electra, the funding announced on February 8 (whose amount has not been disclosed)&nbsp;will accelerate its plans to start flight testing a full-scale technology demonstrator later this year. The company also believes that the contract puts the program on track for the Air Force to add the unnamed aircraft to its fleet.
The eSTOL model is being designed to carry between seven and nine&nbsp;people or 1,800 pounds of cargo up to 500 miles. Electra says it will be able to operate from landing strips as small as 300 feet long and 100 feet wide.
The aircraft features a blown-wing design with eight wing-mounted electric motors and propellers. A small turbine&nbsp;generator recharges the batteries during flights, which Electra says will eliminate the need for recharging infrastructure on the ground and expand the scope for operations away from established airports.
Electra sees the aircraft being used for a wide variety of applications, including on-demand passenger transportation, freight deliveries, search-and-rescue operations, and emergency medical support. The eSTOL design is one of several new technologies being considered for military missions by the USAF.
“Agility Prime is leading the outside-the-box thinking necessary to quickly and affordably deliver disruptive capabilities to national security and other U.S. government missions like humanitarian aid and disaster relief,” said Ben Marchionna, Electra’s director of technology and innovation. “Hybrid eSTOL aircraft are particularly well-suited to support the Air Force’s agile combat employment doctrine by providing middle- and last-mile island-hopping and distributed cargo logistics in the Indo-Pacific theatre or operations in areas with limited infrastructure like Africa.”
According to Air Force Agility Prime lead Lt. Col. John Tekell, the U.S. military is keen to speed up the development and flight testing of eSTOL aircraft. He said the SBIR contracts are part of the service’s wider commitment to supporting the development of advanced air mobility.

U.S. Air Force Confirms More Agility Prime Backing for Electra's eSTOL Aircraft

Lockheed Martin Ventures (LMV) has made an undisclosed investment in eSTOL aircraft developer Electra through a Series A funding round. The capital contributed by the venture capital arm of the U.S. defense and aerospace giant will support the Virginia-based start-up’s plans to begin flight testing a technology demonstrator this year.
Using blown-lift technology, the hybrid-electric, fixed-wing design features eight sets of propellers and is expected to be able to operate from surfaces that are no more than 300 feet long and 100 feet wide. In addition to its patent-pending distributed electrical propulsion system, the aircraft will have a small turbine-powered generator to recharge batteries during flights to give the flexibility of being able to operate into sites where recharging infrastructure is not available. The as-yet-unnamed model will carry seven to nine passengers or up to 1,800 pounds of cargo on sectors of up to 500 miles.
“Electra’s technical approach to sustainable aviation is differentiated, and we are excited to see this concept mature,” said LMV vice president and general manager Chris Moran. “We invested in Electra because of its focus on hybrid-electric technology. Hybrid-electric aircraft have the potential to deliver operational and environmental advantages over other aircraft, including increased payload and range without gambling on battery improvements.”
Last year, Electra signed provisional sales agreements with prospective operators Flapper and Flyv. It reported that work has begun with the FAA to certify the aircraft under existing Part 23 rules, and the company has received support from NASA and the U.S. Air Force.

Lockheed Martin Backs Hybrid-electric eSTOL Aircraft Developer Electra

On-demand air mobility start-up Flyv has committed to buying 100 of Electra.aero's planned hybrid-electric eSTOL aircraft under the terms of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that establishes a partnership between the two companies in Europe. Under the agreement, the partners will explore urban and regional network opportunities&nbsp;and collaborate on elements of eSTOL performance, economics, and passenger experience as well as joint marketing initiatives. 
The contract brings to 280 the number of sales commitments U.S.-based Electra now holds for its fixed-wing eSTOL aircraft. Using a combination of blown lift technology, hybrid-electric power, and distributed propulsion, the aircraft promises lower emissions and operating costs than conventional aircraft, according to the company. The aircraft’s batteries will be re-charged&nbsp;in mid-flight, eliminating the need for ground charging infrastructure and enabling quick flight turnaround in diverse environments. 
Electra’s aircraft will initially carry up to seven passengers and a pilot or 1,800 pounds of cargo up to 500 miles in all weather conditions. Its ability to take off and land with just 100 feet of linear space allows flight operations from places previously inaccessible by air, including urban rooftops and corporate parking lots. 
According to Electra, its technology delivers two-and-a-half times the payload and 10 times more range as well as 70 percent lower operating costs than what it calls vertical takeoff alternatives. The manufacturer&nbsp;expects to begin flights with a full-scaled demonstrator next year in the U.S. and gain certification for the seven-seat eSTOL vehicle in 2026.
Plans call for Germany-based Flyv to operate between airports and eventually provide point-to-point intercity travel. In lieu of a traditional hub and spoke network, the Flyv says its scheduling platform will usesa proprietary algorithm to optimize the daily flight schedule based on paid bookings and operational constraints. The company plans to provide customers a guaranteed fixed travel timeframe to their destination at the point of booking and exact itinerary details prior to departure.
"Traditional airlines are focused on capacity, not on demand,” said Flyv CEO Anton Lutz. “We're building a new means of transport that is demand-driven and customer centric. We aim to connect unserved communities to as many other decentralized locations as possible by delivering the fastest means of transport from one point to another at market value-based prices.”

Electra Signs Conditional Order for 100 eSTOL Aircraft With Germany’s Flyv

Hybrid-electric aircraft developer Electra has secured purchase commitments for up to 130 of its eSTOL vehicles from Brazil’s Flapper and Australia’s Skyportz, the companies said Monday. The deals come a little over a month after Virginai-based Electra signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with helicopter operator Bristow for 50 of the still-unnamed eSTOL machines. Electra places the value of all the commitments at more than $500 million.
Electra’s fixed-wing aircraft will initially carry up to seven passengers and a pilot or 1,800 pounds of cargo up to 500 miles in all weather conditions. Its ability to take off and land with just 100 feet of linear space allows flight operations from places previously inaccessible by air, including urban rooftops and corporate parking lots. Electra says its technology delivers two-and-a-half times the payload and 10 times more range as well as 70 percent lower operating costs than what it calls vertical takeoff alternatives.
“These strategic agreements go beyond the technological development and manufacturing of the aircraft,” said Electra CEO John Langford. “They chart the entire ecosystem needed for its successful operation, ground support, and customer use that together validate the commercial viability and market confidence in our eSTOL aircraft.” 
Under the MOU with Flapper, Electra will serve as Flapper’s preferred aircraft provider for five-plus-seat regional air services. As Electra’s preferred service provider in Brazil, Flapper commits to buying 15 Electra eSTOL aircraft with an option for 15 more of the airplanes. The two companies plan to jointly pursue new route networks including ones for heliport operators and real estate developers and investors. 
“Our transition to sustainable electric aircraft is expected to achieve 40 percent savings in our operational costs&nbsp;and open our service to new destinations,” said Flapper CEO Paul Malicki. “With Electra’s eSTOL plane, we look forward to offering our customers unparalleled urban and regional air mobility in cities such as São Paulo, Bogotá [Colombia], Santiago de Chile, or Ciudad de Mexico—all at a fraction of the cost of a helicopter ride.” 
Meanwhile, Electra’s MOU with Skyportz includes a purchase agreement for up to 100 eSTOL aircraft, which the Australian firm plans to use for connecting city centers or dispersed logistic facilities and delivering cargo to remote regions. The companies are exploring opportunities in Australia for early trials of Electra's full-scale technology demonstrator, which enters flight testing in the U.S. in 2022. 
“Australia exemplifies the type of market that will greatly benefit from Electra’s eSTOL aircraft, with our greater payload capabilities, lower emissions, longer range, and reduced operating costs,” said Electra’s Langford. “Electra is excited to collaborate with Skyportz, in anticipation of our eSTOL aircraft flying missions in Australia ranging from on-demand intracity passenger flights to medical transport, cargo logistics, remote area missions, and more.” 
The move into eSTOL operations marks a significant departure for the Bristow Group, which today operates a worldwide fleet of around 240 rotorcraft, mainly serving customers in the oil and gas sector, as well as providing services such as search-and-rescue cover for governments and civil organizations. Bristow has explored diversifying its business model for some time after seeing its financial performance dented by declining demand and excess helicopter capacity in the offshore oil and gas sector. 
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Electra

News

Electra Completes Test of Hybrid-electric Engine for eSTOL Aircraft

Electra and Airflow Join Forces to Bring eSTOL Aircraft Family to Market

USAF Backs Electra-MIT Team's Work on Flight Controls For eSTOL Aircraft

How Electra Plans To Deliver Fixed-wing Payload and Range in Helicopter Habitats

Asian Flight Booking Platform Yugo Commits to Electra's eSTOL Aircraft

U.S. Air Force Confirms More Agility Prime Backing for Electra's eSTOL Aircraft

Lockheed Martin Backs Hybrid-electric eSTOL Aircraft Developer Electra

Electra Signs Conditional Order for 100 eSTOL Aircraft With Germany’s Flyv

Electra Collects Major Purchase Commitments from Flapper, Skyportz

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN