Wed, Nov 22, 2023
"Goldfinch" Prototype Reaches 3,200 ft
Electra Aero's demonstrator took flight on a real-deal test flight from Manassas Regional in Virginia, getting up to 3,200 feet for a 30-mile trek.
The news is good to hear in an industry so often eager to announce "test flights" that are little more than tethered hover evaluations, making the 2-seater Goldfinch - an eSTOL in a market filled with eVTOLs - a real-deal aircraft. It sports a distributed system of 8 electric motors spread across its strutted high wing. The design appears little different from a raft of tried and true utility aircraft in use around the world today, just with a handful of props in place of a couple.
Electra says they're working on a commuter variant that can haul 9 passengers at a time, tossing around specs like sub-150' takeoff rolls and 500 sm range. Currently, their project sits on more than 30 backorders for 1,700 aircraft, not the least of which coming from the US Air Force itself via the AFWERX Agility Prime program. That deal will see Electra deliver a prototype pre production aircraft for T&E. Certification under Part 23 is expected sometime in 2028.
“The aim of Electra is to fill a gap in air travel between 50 and 500 miles, where most trips today are made by automobile. The key to saving time is to operate close in, which means getting in and out of small spaces quietly and safely, while still being fast enough to cover long distances,” said Electra founder and CEO John Langford. “Electra will be able to take you from downtown Manhattan not only to Kennedy Airport, but to Washington, DC. It will bring air service to thousands of communities where air travel today is not a practical or affordable option. It also opens vast new opportunities for middle-mile cargo logistics.”
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