Houston-based helicopter operator Bristow Group primarily operates offshore oil and gas and search and rescue services for government customers.
In a few years, though, it could spearhead a new model of passenger air transport—one that does away with the constraints of airports and other traditional locations in favor of unused parking lots, rooftops, and other places closer to where passengers live and work.
“Bristow is one of the largest helicopter operators in the world today, has a global operating footprint, and has really been a strong force and advocate for safety in helicopter operations,” Diana Siegel, who leads commercial operations for hybrid-electric “ultra short” aircraft developer Electra, told FLYING. “That’s critical to us as we’re thinking about partnering with operators to roll out the aircraft globally.”
Bristow has been around for more than half a century. It is the largest operator of Sikorsky S-92 and Leonardo AW139 and AW189 helicopters, with a fleet of more than 200 aircraft globally. Electra views it as the perfect partner to introduce a new generation of what it bills as more capable and cost-effective regional aircraft—the company’s flagship EL9 family.
“Their size and scale certainly is very helpful in supporting a global rollout of the EL9,” said Siegel. “But second, their safety culture and focus on operating safely in some of the most demanding environments is key, obviously, for us to feel confident that the first operations are going to be conducted in a safe manner—and in a way that supports future sales of the aircraft globally.”
Bristow in January made what Siegel described as a “sizable” deposit to secure the first five EL9 delivery slots, becoming the first Electra customer to make such a binding commitment. The agreement reserves five slots during the first year of production, which Siegel estimated will begin in about four years.
Following FAA certification, Bristow will receive the aircraft and be able to take advantage of its ultra short capabilities almost immediately. The EL9 is designed to take off and land with just 150 feet of space, whether it be a runway, grass field, or other soccer field-sized setting.
“You get the small footprint and the quiet operation of a helicopter, but you do it with the economics and the safety of a fixed-wing aircraft, such that…you could imagine fitting in the space-constrained locations that you’re going to find if you’re close to where people live and work,” said Siegel.
The agreement also fixes certain terms, including the deposit size, aircraft pricing, “progress payments,” and minimum guarantees for performance and service levels. Electra said it has a “catalog price” of about $10 million per aircraft, but early customers such as Bristow receive a discount.
Going Direct
Siegel said the EL9 offers capabilities that could spur the adoption of “direct aviation”—Electra’s vision for a network of non-airport “ultra short access points.”
“It’s going to be about marrying the aircraft, the operations, and the infrastructure to really complete that ecosystem,” she said.
The EL9’s secret sauce is its blown-lift propulsion system, which allows it to take off from runways, unimproved surfaces, or any soccer field-sized area at the speed of a car driving through a residential neighborhood (about 35 knots). Airflows are directed over the wings into large flaps and ailerons, which force the air downward to amplify lift.
The EL9 does not quite have the space-saving, vertical takeoff ability of rotorcraft. But Siegel believes it sits in the sweet spot between fixed-wing models, which rely on large airports that are “disaggregated with where people live and work,” and helicopters, which are noisy, less safe, and prohibitively costly for high-volume service, she said.
At its full nine-passenger or 3,000-pound capacity, the EL9 has an expected range of about 330 nm, closer to that of a helicopter than the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis being developed by some American firms. Compared to rotorcraft, Electra claims it will slash operating costs by two-thirds and produce a fraction of the noise.
“That gives you access to a lot more places than you could fly into today with a fixed-wing,” said Siegel. “For example, noise-sensitive airports like [California’s] Santa Monica, Palo Alto, [and New York’s] Westchester, East Hampton.”
Siegel said existing heliports, such as Manhattan’s Downtown Skyport (KJRB), are large enough to accommodate the EL9 on day one of operation. She envisions further access points at unused parking spaces, piers, barges, malls, and even destinations such as casinos and ski resorts. They could be built “right on the property,” so long as it has 300 to 400 square feet of space and eight-degree approach and departure surfaces to help the EL9 clear obstacles.
“As long as the location is compatible with those factors, we can operate from it,” said Siegel.
Why Bristow?
Siegel said Bristow is an “expert” at operating out of the non-airport locations that Elecra aims to serve with direct aviation.
“Harnessing that experience is extremely valuable for us in bringing online routes that aren’t served by air service today and expanding the market from there,” she said.
In the five years since Bristow placed an initial preorder for up to 50 EL9s in 2021, Siegel said it has worked “closely” with Electra to refine the model. The helicopter operator’s feedback informed “certain design features, particularly as it relates to safety elements that the aircraft has,” and “operational aspects that we’ve included” to reduce maintenance, such as the design of doors.
Siegel credited Bristow with spearheading the use of flight operational quality assurance (FOQA) and other health and usage monitoring systems—common in the fixed-wing world—for helicopters.
Electra and Bristow have exchanged data to produce “continuous feedback” on the design, which the partners plan to continue after the launch of commercial operations. Electra is also working with its customer toward noncommercial demonstrations using prototype aircraft. Siegel said its two-seat EL2 Goldfinch demonstrator recently flew to a destination resort. By late 2027 or early 2028, the company aims to roll out full-scale EL9 prototypes for further exercises to study possible direct aviation routes.
Siegel said Electra completed a preliminary design review (PDR) for the EL9 in October, which is “significant because it really sets the sizing of the aircraft, the performance, locks in the major suppliers, and then allows us to also fix the pricing with customers.” The PDR also allowed the company to firm up its certification basis. In December, it filed a formal application with the FAA for Part 23 type certification—the product of years of collaboration with the regulator’s Center for Emerging Concepts and Innovation (CECI).
By late 2028, Electra expects to begin for-credit testing with the FAA, with certification following in 2029 or 2030. The company is in conversation with other regulators—including the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, whose CS-23 standard Siegel said is “harmonized” with Part 23—on how to validate its FAA certification.
Before then, however, Americans could get a first look at the EL9 in action during the upcoming eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP). The three-year initiative will study real-world operations with precertified aircraft, allowing them to fly into airports and conduct other activities that would otherwise not be permitted.
Siegel said Electra applied for the eIPP with a “handful of states, operators, and infrastructure partners.” If selected, it plans to demonstrate direct aviation operations at Class B, C, and D airports, landing not only on the runway but “nontraditional surfaces.” Electra previously demonstrated grass field takeoffs and landings with the EL2, for example. The company will also look to show it can operate from “novel” ultra short access points.
Siegel said eIPP operations would begin with the EL2 and transition to EL9 prototypes whenever Electra completes sufficient internal testing.
“It’s very much intended to be an open program, where the applicant, the state, the OEM, operators and infrastructure providers get to define what the scope of the program is going to be, and what topics are going to be addressed,” she said.