Aircraft Uses Runway One-Tenth of Standard Size

Hybrid-electric STOL showcases flexibility in first public demo flights. Could it transform aviation as we know it?

Credit: Toni Trani | Electra

Electra certainly thinks so. Its EL2 aircraft can take off and land using an airfield that's one-tenth the size of a standard runway thanks to its "blown lift" aero and hybrid-electric propulsion capabilities - which were just successfully demonstrated at its first public test flights at Virginia Tech.

The Electra STOL (short take-off and landing) aircraft features eight electric props along the front edge of its wings. To help achieve the blown lift effect - which results in lift off at relatively low speeds of 35 mph (56 km/h) along a short runway of just 300 feet (91 m) - the aircraft sports large flaps at the rear edge of the wings.

Power for take-off is provided by onboard batteries, with the system switching to a small turbogenerator for cruising or topping up the batteries while in the air, reports NewAtlas.

"What Electra demonstrated at Virginia Tech was a first glimpse of how air travel will work in the near future," said Eric Paterson, executive director of the Virginia Tech National Security Institute. Marc Allen, CEO of Electra added: "These demonstrations showcased breathtakingly short take-offs and landings and pinpoint landing capabilities with the power to transform aviation as we know it."

Want to see the Electra in action? Here's the promo video...