Electra among companies selected for FAA next-gen aircraft pilot

The Federal Aviation Administration named Manassas-based Electra.aero among a smattering of companies selected for the new Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program, which the agency announced Monday.

The project is designed to create a real-world testing environment for next-generation aircraft.

“In addition to offering the American people an exciting window into the future of aviation, data from the pilot projects will be used by the FAA to develop new regulations that safely enable this futuristic technology at scale,” an agency news release said.

Advanced air mobility is a term used for aircraft that are often highly automated, electrically powered and capable of taking off and landing vertically — basically the flying cars foretold by “The Jetsons.”

Eight proposals were selected for the pilot project out of 30 submissions, according to the FAA. The projects involve urban air taxi services, regional passenger transportation, cargo and logistics networks, emergency medical response operations, autonomous flight technologies and offshore and energy sector transportation.

“This administration is opening the door for an American company to demonstrate how hybrid-electric propulsion works at scale, to reimagine how we use the skies and to change the way that people get to where they want to go,” Electra CEO Marc Allen said in a statement. “It’s American innovation at its best.”

According to an Electra news release, “Electra will work with public and private partners on groundbreaking demonstrations including connecting urban and regional destinations in Florida and linking metropolitan centers in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The company also supported the submission from the State of Louisiana.”

The pilot program was created by President Donald Trump’s executive order titled “Unleashing American Drone Dominance,” which was issued in June 2025. Operations should begin this summer, according to the FAA.

“Thanks to President Trump, the future of aviation is here — and it’s going to dramatically improve how people and products move,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a statement. “Working together, we will ensure America leads the way in safely leveraging next-gen aircraft to radically redefine personal travel, regional transportation, cargo logistics, emergency medicine and so much more.”

The three-year program will span 26 states, according to the FAA.

Electra’s pioneering moves

Electra was founded by serial aerospace entrepreneur John Langford in 2020.

The EL2 Goldfinch, the company’s piloted technology demonstrator aircraft, took to the skies for the first time Nov. 11, 2023.

In April 2025, the company announced it had secured $115 million in Series B funding to enter pre-production and certification phase of its EL9 model, a hybrid ultra-short aircraft that can take off and land in 150 feet.

The EL9 Ultra Short, which can carry nine passengers, uses electric motors to blow air over the wings and large flaps of the aircraft and a hybrid-electric propulsion system to allow it to land in tight spaces, without traditional aviation infrastructure.

In December 2025, Electra became the first manufacturer to join the Virginia Advanced Air Mobility Smart Airspace program, which is working to create FAA-approved civil instrument flight rules network designed for advanced air mobility aircraft.

The arrival and departure procedures under existing instrument flight rules are not designed for this type of aircraft, according to Electra.

“Without [advanced air mobility]-specific procedures, there could be unsustainable airport congestion, reduced time savings for passengers, and challenges in attaining full commercial viability of [advanced air mobility] aircraft,” an Electra news release distributed in February explained.

Formed in March 2025, the Virginia Advanced Air Mobility Smart Airspace program is a collaboration between Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, the Virginia Small Aircraft Transportation Systems Lab, the Virginia Department of Aviation, Electra and Willis-based Navos Air, a developer of instrument flight procedures.

The team behind the smart airspace program plan to collaborate with Electra “to design ultra short access point landing areas and instrument flight rules infrastructure tailored to Electra’s flight profiles, significantly expanding access to the national airspace system,” according to a February news release from Virginia Tech.

Enabling advanced air mobility operations in Virginia could generate $16 billion in new business activity and create more than 17,000 jobs, according to an analysis by the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Logistics Systems, a Petersburg-based nonprofit research and innovation center

Players in the Integration Pilot Program

The eight projects selected by the FAA include:

• • A collaboration led by the port authorities of New York and New Jersey that will create 12 different operational concepts across New England, including Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing passenger operations at the Manhattan heliport. Electra will partner on this effort with Vermont-based Beta Technologies as well as Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation, both based in California.

• • Led by the Texas Department of Transportation, this project supports regional flights connecting Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and, later, Houston with air taxi networks expanding from each city. Partners are Archer, Beta Technologies, Joby and California-based Wisk Aero.

• • Four States across the Pacific Northwest, the Rocky Mountains and the Plains of Oklahoma will test a wide range of next-generation aircraft and operational concepts with this project led by the Utah Department of Transportation. Partners are Beta Technologies, Joby and California-based Ampaire.

• • Led by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, this project will work across 13 states to “revitalize regional flights across the country.” The partners are Electra and Beta Technologies.

• • Led by the State of Louisiana, this project will test cargo and personnel transportation capabilities to enable flights over the Gulf of Mexico and to locations in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi. The partners are Beta Technologies and California-based Elroy Air.

• • Led by the Florida Department of Transportation, this effort will include three phases of operations focused on cargo delivery, passenger transportation, automation and medical response. The partners are Electra, Archer, Beta Technologies and Joby.

• • The North Carolina Department of Transportation will lead a project to establish piloted medical and regional operations across the state, while also developing an autonomous flight operation extending into Virginia. The partners are Beta Technologies and Joby.

• • Led by the City of Albuquerque, this project is designed to achieve early advances in autonomous operations through a partnership. The partner is California-based Reliable Robotics.

“We wanted flying cars, and thanks to President Trump, we’re getting them,” U.S. Chief Technology Officer Ethan Klein said in a statement Tuesday.