FutureFlight
Electra Confirms Design for Hybrid-Electric STOL Regional Aircraft
The U.S. company now intends to show the design for a seven-passenger short takeoff and landing aircraft to prospective customers as it prepares to bring it to market by 2026.
Electra eSTOL aircraft
Electra has confirmed the design for its planned hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing regional aircraft. (Image: Electra)

Electra this week unveiled the design for the eSTOL aircraft it intends to develop for regional air mobility applications. The Virginia-based company said it has been assessing a wide range of potential designs and will now show the model to prospective customers as it prepares to complete type certification under FAA’s existing Part 23 rules in 2026.

The hybrid-electric aircraft is designed to carry a pilot and up to seven passengers on flights of up to around 500 miles at speeds of up to 200 mph. Electra's "blown lift" technology uses the airplane’s electric-motor-driven propellers to blow air over the entire span of the wing and its flaps, allowing for takeoff and landings at speeds below 30 mph. The aircraft is expected to be able to take off and land in little more than 100 feet, allowing it to operate from small urban spaces such as rooftops and parking lots.