en.Wedoany.com Reported - Electra completed an urban demonstration flight of its hybrid-electric EL2 ultra-short takeoff and landing aircraft last week at the Columbus Street Terminal in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, USA, at a non-airport venue during the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Americas conference.
Hosted by the South Carolina Ports (SC Ports) and using Electra's EL2 technology demonstrator, the flight aimed to showcase how the company's blown lift design supports takeoffs and landings within 150 feet or less. According to Electra, its nine-seat EL9 aircraft under development is planned for regional shuttle operations from compact access points such as parking lots, rooftops, fields, and barges.
Electra CEO Marc Allen stated that the demonstration aimed to showcase the practical progress achievable in urban and suburban airspace access. When aviation services can be provided near where people live, work, and play, it will bring transformative options for regional mobility—a more direct, flexible, and accessible new mode of travel.
Prior to the Charleston demonstration, Electra released its first Direct Aviation Market Outlook, which reviewed U.S. regional travel patterns, focusing on trips of 50 to 500 miles. The analysis found 35 million daily car trips within this range, totaling 1.6 trillion passenger miles annually, while over 6,000 routes carry at least 1,000 passengers daily. For these routes, Electra's analysis identified 1,851 routes with potential time savings of over one hour, 540 routes with savings of over two hours, and 227 routes with savings of over three hours. The company stated that operating the proposed regional shuttle model requires new access points, aircraft designed for short-haul services, operators, infrastructure, and regulatory support, estimating demand for 12,000 to 16,000 aircraft in the first 10 years of operations.
Electra is one of the selected companies in the U.S. Department of Transportation's Advanced Air Mobility Pilot Program, participating in demonstrations and other support services in Florida, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana.
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