Electra Demos Hybrid-electric Flights in Three States

Electra has conducted a series of hybrid-electric demonstration flights connecting airports in Virginia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, in one of the first rounds of testing under the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), the agency announced on Tuesday.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation led the campaign in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Transportation. The route began at Washington Manassas Airport (KHEF)—Virginia’s largest general aviation airport and home of Electra’s headquarters—and included stops at New Jersey’s Millville Executive Airport (KMIV) and the former Atlantic City Bader Field, Northeast Philadelphia Airport (KPNE), and Philadelphia International Airport (KPHL).

For these demonstrations, Electra flew its two-seat EL2 technology demonstrator rather than the nine-passenger EL9 Ultra Short it plans to certify for commercial service. Despite the moniker “eVTOL Integration Pilot Program,” Electra’s aircraft do not take off and land vertically. Rather, they take off and land conventionally using blown lift from eight wing-mounted propellers, enabling operations from runways and landing strips as short as 150 feet.

That capability was on display at Bader Field, which has not been an operational airport in nearly 20 years. Atlantic City closed the 143-acre waterfront site in 2006, and it has since hosted concerts and festivals while the city works through a redevelopment plan. Electra has said its aircraft could use general aviation airports, parking lots, and similar locations as access points, and the EL2’s short-field performance allowed it to operate from a decommissioned airport. NJDOT called the stop the state’s first AAM demonstration.

The eIPP, created under an executive order signed by President Trump, selected eight projects across 26 states in March and includes a variety of advanced air mobility (AAM) vehicles. In July, Beta Technologies became the first aircraft manufacturer to fly under the eIPP, when its Alia CX300 electric airplane transported manufactured organs between airports in Virginia and Maryland.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said lessons learned from the EL2’s eIPP demonstrations will help the agency “build a system that connects Americans in rural communities and larger metropolitan areas, creating more opportunities for jobs and essential services.” Electra CEO Marc Allen added that the EL9 aircraft “can create direct connections between communities, regional airports, and major hubs, unlocking a faster, more accessible way to travel.”

The demonstrations follow Electra’s announcement in July of a planned $850 million EL9 production facility in Springfield, Ohio, which is expected to create 1,975 jobs and support output of up to 800 aircraft annually once fully built out.

Electra is also pursuing eIPP demonstrations in several other states. In Florida, it is working with the state department of transportation on an access-point demonstration, a company spokesperson told AIN. Electra is also supporting a Louisiana-led eIPP project through its partnership with Bristow Group. In New York and New Jersey, Electra is supporting a proposed route between the two states using existing heliport infrastructure, with partners including Signature Aviation and Vertiports by Atlantic.