Electric hybrid plane lands in Henrico in demonstration of ultra-short takeoff technology
Virginia-based Electra's EL-2 only needs 150 feet to take off and land, raising the possibility of flights from locations like a Henrico drag strip to D.C. or New York.
What looked like an ordinary landing at a Henrico drag strip near Richmond International Airport was actually a demonstration of what developers say is the next era of aviation.
The yellow aircraft is an electric-powered hybrid airplane known as the EL-2, developed by Virginia-based company Electra. The plane needs only 150 feet of space to take off and land, compared to the 1,000 to 2,000 feet required for a similarly sized conventional plane and the nearly a mile required for a commercial aircraft.
"No other airplane can do that with this many people with instrument capabilities to be able to fly in all weather in icing and also to be able to fly these regional ranges," JP Stewart, Electra's senior vice president of product development, said.
Stewart said the drag strip in eastern Henrico was chosen specifically because of the plane's ability to operate from non-traditional locations.
"The idea of direct aviation as being able to bring airplanes much closer to where you live work and play not just the airport that we showed here at Richmond, Virginia, but also down to places like the drag strip or later to other ultrashort access points," Stewart said.
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