The Electra EL-2 Goldfinch is a technology demonstrator developed by American startup Electra.aero. The EL-2 is a

hybrid electric aircraft A hybrid electric aircraft is an aircraft with a Hybrid electric vehicle, hybrid electric powertrain. As the energy density of lithium-ion batteries is much lower than aviation fuel, a hybrid electric powertrain may effectively increase flight rang ...

with

distributed propulsion In aeronautics, Distributed propulsion is an arrangement in which the propulsive and related air flows are distributed over the aerodynamic surfaces of an aircraft. The purpose is to improve the craft's aerodynamic, propulsive and/or structural ...

for

short takeoff and landing A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft that can takeoff/land on short runways. Many STOL-designed aircraft can operate on airstrips with harsh conditions (such as high altitude or ice). STOL aircraft, including tho ...

(STOL).

Development

Electra creator John Langford founded

Aurora Flight Sciences Aurora Flight Sciences (AFS) is an American aviation and aeronautics research subsidiary of Boeing that specializes in special-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles. Aurora's headquarters is at Manassas Regional Airport. History In 1989, AFS was ...

in 1989, sold to Boeing in 2017. The first test flight happened on November 11, 2023, all-electric powered, from

Manassas Regional Airport Manassas Regional Airport , known as Harry P. Davis Field, is southwest of the center of Manassas. Manassas Regional Airport is the largest regional airport in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is located from Washington, D.C. History An airpo ...

in Virginia. On November 17, it flew again for 23 minutes, powered by its hybrid-electric drivetrain, reaching . Electra.aero wants to develop a nine passenger-aircraft (or of cargo) capable of operating from an area

soccer field A football pitch or soccer field is the playing surface for the game of association football. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play". The pitch is typically made of natural turf or artifici ...

-sized with a ground roll, for a range. The company aims to fly a full-scale prototype in 2026, then a certification test aircraft targeted for a 2028 introduction. By late April 2024, the demonstrator had flown for over 10 hours and had achieved landings and takeoffs. Its longest flight exceeded 1.5 hrs, its highest altitude reached was , and its lowest speed achieved is . Electra.aero envisions a 200-seat turboelectric airliner for 2040, for which it has submitted a proposal for the NASA Advanced Aircraft Concepts for

Environmental Sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

. Electra.aero uses a hybrid powertrain as lithium-ion batteries pack not enough energy, only 170 Wh/kg in the

Pipistrel Velis Electro The Pipistrel Velis Electro is a Slovenian light aircraft, designed and produced by Pipistrel of Ajdovščina. The aircraft was EASA CS-LSA fully electric type certified in June 2020 and it is intended primarily for the training aircraft role ...

in 2020, approaching 235 Wh/kg at the pack level for 2025. The

Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy ARPA-E, or Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy is an agency within the United States Department of Energy tasked with funding the research and development of advanced energy technologies. The goal of the agency is to improve U.S. economic ...

(ARPA-E) has launched the Propel-1K program to demonstrate a cell by mid-2025.

Design

The Goldfinch has a

turbogenerator A turbo generator is an electric generator connected to the shaft of a turbine (water, steam, or gas) for the generation of electric power. Large steam-powered turbo generators provide the majority of the world's electricity and are also u ...

in the nose for hybrid propulsion and battery packs under the floor for all-electric operation. It has a two-person cockpit and a gross weight of . To take off at , it has a blown-lift wing, generating a pitching moment balanced by a large

T-tail A T-tail is an empennage wikt:configuration, configuration in which the tailplane of an aircraft is mounted to the top of the vertical stabilizer, fin. The arrangement looks like the capital letter T, hence the name. The T-tail differs fr ...

. It has a modified

Cessna 172 The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company.auxiliary power unit An auxiliary power unit (APU) is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft and naval ships as well as some large land vehicles. Aircraft APUs generally produce 115&n ...

while its battery packs handle peak power. The EL2 is quieter than a conventional turbine aircraft, generating 75

decibel The decibel (symbol: dB) is a relative unit of measurement equal to one tenth of a bel (B). It expresses the ratio of two values of a Power, root-power, and field quantities, power or root-power quantity on a logarithmic scale. Two signals whos ...

s of noise at and 55 dBAs at .Electra's Hybrid-Electric STOL Demonstrator Flies in Pentagon Exercise
''

Aviation International News Aviation International News (AIN Media Group / The Convention News Company) is a periodical and newspaper publisher about aviation, published through its website and in hard copy. History The Convention News Company was founded by aviation edi ...

''. 27 November 2024.

Specifications

References

{{reflist

Development

Design

Specifications

See also

References

Further reading