BETA Secures First FAA Market Survey Authorisation for Electric VTOL Aircraft
BETA Technologies has received a Special Airworthiness Certificate for market surveys from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its ALIA A250 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The authorisation is the first of its kind granted to an electric VTOL, allowing the company to conduct flights with prospective customers, operators and other stakeholders.
Issued under Part 21 of the FAA’s regulations, the approval enables BETA to demonstrate the A250 in a wider range of operating environments, subject to applicable limitations. It does not constitute full type certification or approval for unrestricted commercial passenger services.
The aircraft completed its first flight under the new authorisation on 20 October. The A250 took off vertically from Plattsburgh International Airport in New York, transitioned to wing-borne flight and landed vertically at Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport in Vermont. The flight covered 34 nautical miles and took 20 minutes.
The approval follows a similar market survey authorisation previously granted to BETA’s conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) ALIA aircraft. The company says the two aircraft have flown more than 250,000 nautical miles combined.
The A250 is designed to operate from locations with or without runway access. It features dual pilot controls and is intended to carry up to five passengers or more than 1,200 pounds of cargo. BETA identifies potential applications including passenger transport, cargo and logistics, medical transportation and defence.
The A250 shares key systems with the company’s CTOL aircraft, including propulsion systems, flight control computers, batteries and charging infrastructure. BETA says the common architecture allows operational experience and development work from the two programmes to support both aircraft.
The FAA said the authorisation forms part of its work to integrate new aircraft into the US national airspace while maintaining safety standards. For BETA, the approval provides an opportunity to gather operational experience with potential users as it continues development and certification work.
