The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Departments of Transportation would join Electra in conducting hybrid-electric demonstration flights.
The flights, part of the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), were designed to test routes connecting small local airports with major airline hubs. The test flights started at Washington Manassas Airport in Virginia, with stops in Millville Executive Airport and Atlantic City Bader Field in New Jersey, and Northeast Philadelphia Airport and Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania.
Officials said the flights were part of a series of demonstrations designed to test the integration of Advanced Air Mobility aircraft into the National Airspace System.
“With every new test flight, the Department is gathering more of the data we need to enable the safe rollout of these next-generation aircraft,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said. “I’m thrilled to see the continued success of the Trump Administration’s first-ever eVTOL pilot program and look forward to seeing more American innovators revolutionize the way people and products move.”
The U.S. DOT selected eight projects across 26 states to participate in the eIPP. Penn DOT was one of those eight participants.
“PennDOT’s mission is to help connect people to where they’re going, no matter how they choose to travel,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said. “The innovative technology being demonstrated this week has the potential to make air travel more convenient and accessible to our communities. PennDOT is proud to lead this multistate collaborative, working with FAA and our state partners.”
The FAA said it will use information gleaned from the demonstrations to “identify gaps, improve procedures, and support the safe integration of advanced air mobility into the National Airspace System.” More flights are planned throughout the rest of the year, officials said.