Electra’s eSTOL demonstrator aircraft makes its first flights

Known as the EL-2 Goldfinch, the two-seat “blown lift” demonstrator is actually classified as a hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft. It utilizes eight electric propellers (four on each side) to blow air over its wings, greatly increasing lift and thus reducing the length of runways required for take-offs and landings. Such short runways could be located at small urban “pocket airports” in big cities, between which commuter eSTOLs could make short flights.
The propellers’ motors are powered by batteries that can either be charged before flight and then used on their own (for pure electric flight), or charged on the go by a small onboard turbogenerator (for hybrid flight). Thanks to this setup, the Goldfinch is reportedly much quieter and produces far less emissions than conventional fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters.