MANASSAS, Va. - Electra.aero Inc. in Manassas, Va., has partnered with the Virginia Advanced Air Mobility Smart Airspace Program to design, implement, and test a low-cost instrument flight rules network for ultra-short takeoff and landing (uSTOL) and other advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft, including new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-certified access points.
Most commercial aviation services operate under instrument flight rules (IFR) to ensure reliability and safety in reduced visibility conditions. Existing IFR arrival and departure procedures, however, are not tailored to advanced air mobility operations. Program officials say the lack of AAM-specific procedures could contribute to airport congestion and limit the commercial viability of emerging aircraft concepts.
The program will develop IFR routing, procedures, and access points intended to separate AAM traffic from conventional aircraft, enable more direct routing, and rely on GPS-based navigation to create a scalable model that could be replicated across the United States.
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Program partners
Electra will serve as a technical lead alongside NAVOS Air in Willis, Va. The initiative is led by the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership at Virginia Tech, an FAA-designated test site. The program is supported by the Virginia Small Aircraft Transportation Systems Lab and the Virginia Department of Aviation.
Electra engineers and pilots will work with program partners to design and test instrument procedures for Ultra Short aircraft, including approaches from instrument meteorological conditions to landing sites. The GPS-based procedures are intended to support flight when visibility is less than three miles and cloud ceilings are below 1,000 feet.
The program will initially connect four Virginia locations: the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in Blacksburg; Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport; Allen C. Perkinson Airport; and Shannon Airport. Officials say the effort is intended to create a repeatable model for expanding AAM IFR networks.
Electra’s Direct Aviation model is built around aircraft capable of taking off and landing in as little as 150 feet, which the company says could enable operations from short fields, parking areas, and underused runways.
