The Vertical Space
The Vertical Space
Jim Barry, Peter Shannon & Luka Tomljenovic
#114 Marc Allen, Electra.aero: Changing aviation without going vertical
1 hour 18 minutes Posted Jul 19, 2026 at 6:00 am.
Suspending belief
The rule of Six
Regional mobility gap
Crosswind and gust performance
Part 23 certification approach
What the industry got wrong about air travel and logistics
Leaving eVTOLs to bet on ultra short STOL
All-In On the EL-9
3 Distinct Markets
We're Building A Truck
 The power required for takeoff and landing vs cruise in the EL9 vs eVTOL companies
The Commercial Use-Case
"It's the 20% Stupid"
The 3rd Era is Real
Where Innovation is Coming From...
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Show notes
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 ...