US-developer Electra has secured approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a critical stage of commercializing its hybrid-electric ultra short-takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft.
On July 10, 2026, Electra announced that the US regulator has closed the G-1 Issue Paper, formally establishing the certification basis for the nine-seater EL9 aircraft.
Electra said the latest milestone came after the company submitted its Part 23 type certification application in November 2025.
According to the start-up, the G1 certification “determines how new technologies will be evaluated and provides the framework for proving that the aircraft meets the safety standards required for commercial passenger and cargo operations”.
Marc Allen, CEO of Electra, said that with this “strong momentum” it can move into the G-2 phase of its work with the FAA.
“In the G-2 phase of the certification process, Electra and the FAA will take the next step and focus on defining the EL9’s means of compliance,” JP Stewart, Electra’s Senior Vice President for Product Development, said. “This stage will guide how Electra demonstrates that the aircraft meets the FAA-approved certification basis through engineering analysis, ground and flight testing, inspections, conformity activities, and certification data.”
The EL9 can take off and land in 150 feet or less and is designed to operate on routes up to 330 nautical miles.
The EL9 is designed to create a transport industry that is less reliant on large airports with a network of ultra-short access points, including novel access points, general aviation airports, and congestion-free airport integration.
“The next era of aviation depends on more than designing a breakthrough aircraft,” Allen said. “It depends on assuring commercial levels of safety for those aircraft. As we move the EL9 through the certification process, we remain laser focused on translating its novel capabilities into safe, scalable operations that will make Direct Aviation a reality.”
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We note the aircraft shown above has eight motors and propellers. Why not only six, four, or even only two? My guess is that with more propellers distributed across the wing, they do a better job fooling the wing into thinking the indicated airspeed is higher than it actually is. If at some point in the takeoff cycle the IAS is 40 knots, with propeller slipstream blowing backwards on the wing, it will perceive perhaps 45 knots IAS. Hence the runway requirement will be less.
The Lockheed L-188 (Electra) of decades ago, had a shorter wingspan than aerodynamic efficiency would prefer because launch customer American Airlines wanted the Electra to fit within existing hangars. This had the unexpected benefit later on, when Reeve Aleutian Airways like the L-188 because slipstream from the huge propellers, as described above, fooled the wing into thinking the IAS was higher than it actually was for the whole airplane.
So if you want this effect for a longer, hence more aerodynamically efficient wing you have to use more propellers. Hence the configuration we see above.