Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

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Electra.Aero is in talks with a select group of prospective operators for its nine-passenger EL9 Ultra Short airplane with a view to collecting non-refundable deposits from launch customers. Company CEO Marc Allen said he aims to prioritize early delivery slots for the hybrid-electric, blown-wing design as Electro works to bring it to market in 2029.
Earlier this month, Electra conducted a series of flight trials with its two-seat EL2 technology demonstrator as it seeks to make the case for the operational flexibility it expects the full-scale aircraft to deliver. These public demonstrations were made in partnership with Surf Air Mobility and Virginia Tech university as part of an ongoing process to establish how the EL9 will be able to operate beyond existing airports to take advantage of what Electra refers to as access points.
The flight trials used three sites on the Virginia Tech campuses, each of which matches real-world operating models, with the aircraft achieving approach speeds as slow as 20 knots. The EL2 took off from a 300-foot by 75-foot paved surface that Virginia Tech uses to evaluate small uncrewed air systems. The flight tests also used an access road as a runway in the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and a grass field at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center.
“One thing we’ve learnt from these flights is how important noise is in the calculus,” Allen told AIN. “We were operating right in the middle of life and activity [on the campus], talking to constituents and neighbors, and it [the aircraft] was completely unobtrusive.”
According to Electra, ongoing demonstrations will help operators to understand the practicalities of how the new air transport business model it calls Direct Aviation will enable sustainable services to many more locations than are currently accessible with airlines or private aviation operations. “We’re going to have a rapidly growing list of access points,” Allen said. “It is not our intention to push our way into [operating in] any place, we want to respond to a pull [for new air services].”
<h2>Short Hops to Ski Resorts</h2>
One of the next set of demonstration flights will be into an undisclosed U.S. ski resort to demonstrate how a five-hour car ride for visitors could be replaced by 40-minute flights. Among the data points in Electra’s research is the fact that on average around 4,000 people currently drive four hours from Jacksonville in Florida to catch scheduled flights from Orlando International Airport.
The company said a <a href="https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/6.2025-3348">new study published</a> by researchers at Georgia Tech university about regional travel demand and flight patterns in the U.S. Northeast Corridor (spanning 700 miles from Virginia to Maine) supports its belief that aircraft able to operate from small space will enable the Direct Aviation business model. “Many of the regional routes identified [by the study] fall within the 50 to 300 nautical mile range, which is too short for traditional air travel to be practical, but too far or congested for ground travel,” Electra concluded.
Electra has been flying the <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2024-11-26/electras-hybrid-electric-stol-demonstrator-flies-pentagon-exercise">EL2 demonstrator</a> since late 2024 as it completes development of the EL9, with a preliminary design review expected to be completed in the fall, with the critical design review to follow in the first half of 2026. It intends to start flying a full-scale prototype of the EL9 in 2027 as it works towards type certification under existing FAA Part 23 rules.
The company is in the process of finalizing suppliers for key components and systems. It has also recruited several production specialists to make preparations for manufacturing the EL9.
According to the Virginia-based company, it already holds letters of intent from more than 60 prospective operators covering 2,200 aircraft, and is also under contract for development work with NASA, the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Army. In the next 30 days, Electra is set to conduct a series of government-directed tests with the EL2 for military applications.
Electra has not yet confirmed which of the operators that have signed letters of intent for the EL9 will be among the official launch customers. Los Angeles-based Surf Air, which provides scheduled regional air services and on-demand charter flights, said it intends to accelerate the commercial deployment of new electrified aircraft, using its SurfOS software to support all aspects of operations.
“Our relationship with Electra showcases the power of Surf Air Mobility’s platform to offer emerging aircraft OEMs like Electra the ability to go to market faster, with reduced operational risk, and increased scalability,” commented the company’s CEO and COO, Deanna White.

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