By Cameron Delean
This article was republished with permission from FXBG Advance’s news partner InsideNoVa.com. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
Aviation history was made recently at Manassas Regional Airport.
Electra, an aerospace company, successfully completed off-runway test flights July 17 of the EL-2 “Goldfinch,” an aircraft that utilizes hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing, or eSTOL, technology, according to a news release from the company.
The company conducted the test flights from a grass field near Electra’s facility in Manassas at 10520 Wakeman Drive.
The flights demonstrate the aircraft’s effectiveness for operating from fields smaller than 300 feet, the release states. The aircraft flew a series of takeoffs and landings from a grass area and demonstrated a steep climb of 32 degrees that would be used in military missions. It also required ground-based charging as the batteries are charged in-flight by the aircraft’s hybrid-electric system.
The technology is aimed at assisting in combat and expeditionary missions while reducing the operational energy footprint, according to company officials.
“The Electra eSTOL technologies increase the number of available landing sites by orders of magnitude relative to traditional fixed wing aircraft while providing for higher cruise speeds, lower costs and lower noise than vertical lift solutions,” Electra Vice President and General Manager JP Stewart said in the release. “These first flights from a field demonstrate the beginnings of this strong capability that we will continue to develop.”
In addition to the grass operations, the test campaign included noise data collection to test the quiet operations capabilities of the technology. The aircraft achieved quiet operations of under 55 decibels at 500 feet overflight, a sound level comparable to human conversation. At typical cruise altitudes, the aircraft will be inaudible over background noise. Later flights will progress to even rougher and more confined areas as the test program continues.
The first operations of EL-2 Goldfinch took place in April and May at the Manassas Regional Airport located on Harry J. Parrish Boulevard and the Warrenton-Fauquier Airport in Midland.
The longest of the test flights lasted 103 minutes. The aircraft took off in less than 170 feet, reached 6,500 feet in altitude and landed in under 114 feet.
Electra is developing the production aircraft that will carry nine passengers or 2,500 pounds of cargo up to 500 miles while still providing the eSTOL takeoff and landing operations and low-noise capabilities. The aircraft’s certification and entry into commercial service under the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulations are targeted for 2028.
