MANASSAS, Virg. — Sitting in a hangar in the exurbs of Washington, DC, at first glance electric aircraft startup Electra’s yellow and black hybrid-electric EL9 looks like many other aircraft parked at the regional airport here.
But a key difference quickly becomes apparent upon closer inspection, what the company calls the aircraft’s secret sauce for ultra-short takeoff and landing: Rather than a more traditional one- or two-prop propeller design, the EL9 sports eight electric rotors distributed along a fixed wing.
“Our goal is to fundamentally transform air travel,” Electra CEO Marc Allen told Breaking Defense during a December visit to the company’s facilities. “We want to create an airplane that gives you direct aviation,” Allen added, referring to…
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Source breakingdefense.com
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