Nichols Martin
Electra.aero has received NASA’s support to mature an electric blown-lift aircraft designed to take off and land in heights below 150 feet for air mobility uses.
The company said Tuesday it partnered with Alejandra Uranga from the University of Southern California to further develop an ultra-short takeoff and landing aircraft under NASA’s Small Business Technology Transfer program.
“Current computational methods can predict some limited blown lift flow fields in three dimensions, but the large eSTOL design space compared to conventional aircraft means that fast, trusted, low-order methods are needed to rapidly evaluate design choices,” said Uranga.
Electra wants to have a full-scale eSTOL aircraft to carry two passengers during a test flight in 2022. The aircraft is planned to employ a 150-kilowatt hybrid-electric turbogenerator to energize eight electric motors.
The company aims to achieve the Federal Aviation Administration’s product certification in 2026. Its first commercial aircraft is designed to accommodate seven passengers and perform air mobility, logistics and air ambulance operations.
