#114 Marc Allen, Electra.aero: Changing aviation without going vertical

In this episode we speak with Marc Allen, CEO of Electra.aero, which builds the EL9, a nine-passenger hybrid-electric aircraft that takes off and lands in roughly 150 feet using blown lift and distributed electric propulsion. Marc came from Boeing, where he was chief strategy officer and chaired Wisk, and took the CEO seat from founder John Langford in 2024. Most of the conversation was about whether a fixed-wing airplane can really get into helicopter-sized spaces while keeping the cost and reliability of a conventional airplane. Because the EL9 takes off on a wing at a thrust-to-weight ratio near 0.6 rather than lifting straight up, it keeps the payload and range that vertical-lift aircraft give away, at a fraction of their cost. We also get into the harder questions underneath that case. The EL9 flies its approach below its power-off stall speed, which is close to the aerodynamic definition of powered lift, so we spend time on how it certifies as a conventional airplane under Part 23. We talk about how Electra sequences its three markets, with defense as the near-term launchpad ahead of commercial replacement and then direct aviation, and where the fly-by-wire and blown-lift technology still has to prove itself. Marc is candid throughout about what the aircraft is built to do and what it is not, and about how much rides on getting the EL9 from a flying prototype to a certified product. 03:08 Suspending belief 06:21 The rule of Six 08:20 Regional mobility gap 12:39 Crosswind and gust performance 16:30 Part 23 certification approach 19:48 What the industry got wrong about air travel and logistics 23:59 Leaving eVTOLs to bet on ultra short STOL 32:06 All-In On the EL-9 39:31 3 Distinct Markets 43:02 We're Building A Truck 50:22  The power required for takeoff and landing vs cruise in the EL9 vs eVTOL companies 01:00:40 The Commercial Use-Case 01:06:52 "It's the 20% Stupid" 01:12:38 The 3rd Era is Real 01:15:12 Where Innovation is Coming From...