The company on Wednesday said the agency granted it a letter of authorization (LOA) to start dual seat pilot training of “manufacturer and FAA personnel,” such as the aviation safety inspector who will ultimately help certify the aircraft for commercial service.

Trainees will ride along with one of Beta’s eight powered lift test pilots, as outlined in the FAA’s powered lift pilot training proposal, which requires eVTOL training aircraft to have dual controls. The FAA reviewed the ground, simulation, and flight training procedures used to train that group before issuing the LOA.

In addition to the A250, Beta is developing an electric conventional takeoff and landing (eCTOL) model called the CX300. That design has already been flown by pilots from the FAA, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, and companies such as UPS and Bristow Group.

The company’s eVTOL, meanwhile, is one of a handful of designs to complete a crewed transition from hover to cruise flight, but testing has largely been concentrated around its headquarters in Vermont.

Beta tells FLYING that the aircraft is configured with dual controls by default. But if the operator plans to operate a single-seat, the company will sell them a single-seat model with provisions for dual controls. The cockpit can be fitted with dual controls in about 20 minutes, according to the firm.

There is no limit on the number of pilots Beta can train under the approval. Though the FAA has yet to sign off on the firm’s use of a simulator to train pilots, the company says it is developing a simulator that will meet FAA requirements for a qualified training device.

The manufacturer expects to obtain FAA certification for its eCTOL model in 2025, followed by authorization for the A250 in 2026. It is in the process of building out a nationwide network of electric aircraft chargers for both aircraft to use, including at FBO terminals.

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The firm on Thursday announced a formal partnership with Signature Aviation, a FBO network for business and private aviation, to install systems at three East Coast airports, with discussions underway to include additional locations.

The first multimodal Beta charger is already installed and online at Signature’s Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (KMHT) terminal in New Hampshire, which the company said is the state’s first such system.

“Manchester is emerging as one of the top high-tech hubs in the Northeast, and we are honored that Manchester-Boston Regional Airport was chosen as Signature and BETA’s first operational electric aviation site,” said KMHT director Ted Kitchens. “This interoperable charging station will help enable Manchester and southern New Hampshire to have better access to electric aviation, which will bring us better regional air mobility as we move into this exciting new era of electric transportation.”

Additional chargers—which Beta said will come online this summer—are being installed on Signature terminals at Frederick Municipal Airport (KFDK) in Maryland and Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport (KCHO) in Virgina.

“As one of the leading private terminal operators anywhere in the world, Signature takes a forward-leaning approach to best serve their broad base of aviators,” said Nate Ward, head of network development for Beta. “Beta has long been focused on building a reliable, accessible network of chargers for aircraft, and this collaboration represents another important pathway toward scaling our network.”

Beta’s chargers are designed to be multimodal and interoperable, accessible to the company’s aircraft, other developers’ electric models, or any electric air or ground vehicle.

The systems adhere to the international combined charging system (CCS) standard, which has also been proposed as the standard for electric ground vehicles. In September, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) endorsed the CCS alongside Beta, Archer Aviation, Lilium, Volocopter, Overair, Boeing’s Wisk Aero, and several other electric air taxi manufacturers.

Joby Aviation, one of Beta’s U.S. competitors, has proposed its own charging standard—the global electric aviation charging system (GEACS)—which it touts as an alternative to the CCS. In the electric ground vehicle space, Tesla’s North American charging system (NACS) is gradually supplanting the CCS as the industry standard. But Beta and others are pushing for the latter to become the norm in aviation.

Signature is Beta’s third FBO partner. The partnership follows a deal with Atlantic Aviation to install systems at New York’s Elmira Regional Airport (KELM), Birmingham International Airport (KBHM) in Alabama, Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (KJAN) in Mississippi, and Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (KBAF) in Massachusetts. The Elmira site is already online.

Beta in February also partnered with FBO network AvFlight to inaugurate an electric aircraft charger at Golden Triangle Regional Airport (KGTR) in Columbus, Mississippi. The partners said it was the first such system to be installed in the state.

Now Signature, which bills itself as world’s largest private aviation terminal operator, is getting in on the action.

“We are thrilled to further solidify our partnership with Beta, which underscores our unwavering commitment to shaping the future of aviation through our sustainability initiatives in Signature Renew,” said Derek DeCross, chief commercial officer for Signature Aviation. “Together with Beta, we’re not only creating greater access to electric aviation but also unlocking new possibilities in regional air mobility for our guests, all while championing sustainability and innovation in the aviation industry.”

Signature earlier this week rebranded to emphasize its focus on aviation hospitality, customer experience, and sustainability. The firm achieved carbon neutrality across its entire global network in 2022 and last year said it pumped its 25th million gallon of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The company’s three East Coast sites now join Beta’s U.S. charging network, which spans the coast from Vermont to Florida and extends as far west as Arkansas. Chargers have now been installed at 19 locations, with another 50 sites in the permitting or construction process, Beta said Thursday.

Within the manufacturer’s network is the first electric aircraft charger installed at a Department of Defense (DOD) base. Customers include the DOD, regional and state-owned airports, FBOs, and even other electric aircraft developers.

Beta is already using the sites to charge its all-electric aircraft. It stopped at several charging stations in October during a 12-state, 1,500 nm journey to Eglin Air Force Base’s Duke Field (KEGI) in Florida, where it recently concluded an initial three-month deployment for the U.S. Air Force.

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The manufacturer and vertical flight provider on Wednesday hosted more than 100 spectators for a demonstration of Beta’s electric Alia conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft—which the company intends to launch commercially in 2025—in Houma, Louisiana, about 50 miles southwest of New Orleans. The companies claim the aircraft is the first of its kind to arrive in the state.

Beta also asserts that the Alia CTOL is the first electric aircraft to be flown by the U.S. Air Force, Army, FAA, and now Bristow pilots. Bristow placed a firm order for five vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) Aria variants, with an option for 50 more, in August 2022. When Beta announced plans for the CTOL model, the operator placed an additional deposit-backed order for 50 conventional aircraft.

“We designed Alia with the goal of carrying out the most critical missions in a safer, cleaner, and more efficient manner,” said Kyle Clark, founder and CEO of Beta. “We’re excited to fly Alia into Bristow’s home base in Louisiana, marking the first time an electric aircraft has flown in the state and the next step of our partnership together as we look to execute real missions in the market.”

In addition, Bristow has placed orders for 50 electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft from Electra.aero, as many as 80 Volocopter VoloCity eVTOLs, and up to 100 Elroy Air Chaparral VTOL cargo drones.

Bristow primarily provides services to offshore energy companies and government entities, conducting missions such as personnel transport and search and rescue. Now, the company is looking to introduce electric, zero-emission aviation to its markets worldwide, complementing its catalog of vertical flight offerings with advanced air mobility (AAM) services.

The nearby Gulf of Mexico is one of the firm’s largest service regions, but it also has customers in 17 countries.

“Our vision is to be an innovator in flight solutions,” said Dave Stepanek, executive vice president and chief transformation officer at Bristow. “We believe aircraft like Beta’s Alia can expand our offerings and complement some of our current services. Our thinking is our current customers are natural AAM customers initially. We believe it will open up many new possibilities in the Gulf region.”

Among the more than 100 attendees at Beta and Bristow’s demonstration in Houma were local politicians, airport officials, customers, and subject matter experts. Spectators watched the CTOL make several passes over the airfield to exhibit its maneuverability.

“These new technologies have the potential to make certain missions more efficient, quieter, more accessible, and more sustainable,” said Chris Bradshaw, president and CEO of Bristow. “We view AAM as a natural extension of Bristow’s core competencies of safe and reliable vertical flight solutions, and we see multiple avenues for Bristow to participate in the emerging AAM value chain.”

Added Clark: “Bristow has built a strong reputation doing this across the globe, and continues to lean forward to what’s next. The team has been a crucial partner to Beta over the years, providing input and support every step of the way from design to mission application to aircraft handling feedback.”

The CTOL’s visit to Bristow—one of its first stops on the way back to Beta’s Burlington, Vermont, headquarters—follows the conclusion of Beta’s first electric aircraft deployment for the Air Force at Eglin Air Force Base’s Duke Field (KEGI) in Florida. There, the aircraft flew simulated missions including the first simulated casualty evacuation with an electric aircraft.

Beta said Alia, en route to Duke, became the first electric aircraft to fly in the flight restricted zone of Washington, D.C., stopping at nodes in Beta’s expanding electric charging network along the way. That network includes a charging station at Duke, which was the first electric aircraft charger to be installed at a Department of Defense site. According to the company, nearly 20 locations are now online, with a further 50 in development.

Beta’s charging network will support AAM operations nationwide when the time comes, opening up as many airfields as possible for Alia, as well as all electric aircraft and ground vehicles, the company says. The firm hopes to introduce the CTOL in 2025, followed by the VTOL variant in 2026.

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Beta on Monday announced that it concluded its first deployment with the DOD at Eglin Air Force Base’s Duke Field (KEGI) in Florida. The three-month campaign involved Beta’s electric Alia CTOL, a mobile flight simulator, and the company’s built-in-house charging system.

U.S. Air Force pilots took Alia out for on-base and cross-country missions, completing performance evaluations and pilot and maintenance assessments. They also conducted experimental operations and training with the 413th Flight Test Squadron, an Air Force unit stationed at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia.

The deployment was part of the Agility Prime program, the vertical lift division of the Air Force’s innovation arm, AFWERX. Beta and AFWERX’s relationship dates back to 2020, when the Air Force unit first contracted the manufacturer. 

According to Beta, the three-month campaign is the next phase of a larger Air Force developmental test and evaluation (DT&E) effort to gauge the fit of electric aircraft for DOD missions. These could include critical resupply, cargo delivery, and personnel transport, use cases that mirror real-life operations the Air Force has planned.

The Alia CTOL arrived at Duke Field in October after flying 1,500 nm down the East Coast. During the flight, it traveled through Class B airspace in Boston and New York City. Alia also became the first electric aircraft to fly through Washington, D.C.’s flight restricted zone, en route to a stop at Joint Base Andrews.

In addition to flying Alia, Air Force pilots used Beta’s MobileDome simulator to rehearse flights, practice emergency procedures, and obtain feedback from DOD subject matter experts. Last year, the manufacturer installed a Level 3 DC fast-charger—the first electric aircraft charging station at a DOD site—to juice up Alia between test flights.

Major Milestones

Together, Beta and the 413th Flight Test Squadron assessed Alia’s flight operations, maintenance support, and ability to identify infrared signatures, among other tasks. The missions out of Duke Field ranged from short sorties to extended flights, averaging $15 per flight in energy costs.

One key achievement was the first simulated casualty evacuation with an electric aircraft. The experiment demonstrated how Alia could improve response times at forward operating bases (FOBs) in foreign territory. A Lockheed Martin HH-60W rescue helicopter carried a simulated casualty halfway to medical care, but Alia finished the mission, relieving the helicopter and its crew earlier than currently feasible.

The exercise also showed how electric aircraft can reduce evacuation resource requirements. For a sample trip, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules would require a crew of at least three and expend about $1,600 in fuel. But Alia could complete the same mission with a two-person crew and an energy cost of just $5 in electricity.

Alia also completed a Maintenance Recovery Team (MRT) mission, flying to a nearby Air Force base to collect parts, then back to Duke to service a simulated aircraft. The aircraft flew a distance normally relegated to driving, which the DOD said could open cost and workforce savings.

For example, the cost estimate for a maintenance response of a home-unit based Alia, covering two flight legs, is about $25 worth of electricity and an hour of flight time. A standard Ford F-250 pickup covering the same geographical distance would spend about $45 on fuel and drive for four hours.

Those faster response times could enable same-day maintenance and reduced aircraft downtime. The latter could in turn eliminate unexpected DOD lodging costs or the cost of transport to recover fixed aircraft.

While Air Force pilots whizzed around the sky conducting experiments, Beta pilots flew Alia from Duke Field to Valdosta, Georgia, where the company commissioned a new charger at Valdosta Regional Airport (KVLD).

A Key Partnership

Since collaborating with AFWERX in 2020, Beta has gone on to achieve several electric aviation firsts with the Air Force’s help.

In 2021, it became the first electric aircraft manufacturer to receive airworthiness approval from the military for crewed flight. The following year, it conducted the industry’s first and only airman flight with test pilots from the Air Force and Army. Also in 2022, Alia completed a groundbreaking eight-leg, 1,219 nm cross-country flight spanning six states.

Those achievements may not have been possible without AFWERX’s help. Based on Beta’s comment that its recent deployment is only the “next phase” in a grander plan, the DOD may continue its relationship with the manufacturer. The department is also working with rival air taxi manufacturer Archer Aviation and several other developers of electric aircraft.

If all goes according to plan, Beta’s Alia CTOL will enter service in 2025, followed by an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) variant in 2026. In October, the company opened a 188,500-square-foot production facility, where it will begin manufacturing when the time comes.

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Helijet International Inc. on Tuesday announced that it placed firm orders for Beta Technologies’ Alia-250 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi, becoming the first Canadian air carrier to purchase such a design. Helijet, Beta’s first commercial customer in Canada, also expects to be the first air carrier to offer eVTOL passenger and cargo services in the country.

The British Columbia-based firm claims to be the largest and longest-standing helicopter airline in North America. As far as scheduled passenger helicopter airlines go, Helijet and New York City-based Blade Urban Air Mobility are the only major regional players. In 2021, Blade partnered with Helijet’s booking platform to expand into Canada.

Once Beta’s Alia is certified and delivered, Helijet plans to add the aircraft to its existing fleet, which is composed of Eurocopter AS350 B2s, Sikorsky S76s, Learjet 31As, and Pilatus PC-12s.

How Helijet Will Deploy Alia

Though there are similarities between helicopters and eVTOL designs—the most obvious being the ability to take off and land vertically—Alia doesn’t quite match the performance of the aforementioned models. Its 50-foot wingspan is similar. But its 250 nm range and 100 knot cruise speed are more restrictive. However, Beta’s design is expected to be 90 percent quieter than comparable helicopters.

Alia will be integrated into Helijet’s passenger transport operations in southwest British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, offering sustainable, quiet flights for a pilot and up to five passengers at a time. Beta and Helijet claim these trips will cost less than current helicopter flights, making them particularly valuable to rural or remote communities lacking convenient air services.

The eVTOL aircraft are also expected to bolster Helijet’s emergency response, air ambulance, and organ transfer services in Canada’s Lower Mainland region.

Over the past two years, the helicopter airline has shortlisted three eVTOL manufacturers building aircraft designed to fit into advanced air mobility (AAM) ecosystems. Though Beta will be its first supplier, the company will continue to evaluate orders for other nominated designs.

Helijet selected Alia in part due to Beta’s plan to certify the aircraft for IFR operations. The firm is also interested in growing its industrial base in Canada, where Beta in March opened an engineering and research and development hub at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (CYUL).

Beta also has a partnership with Canada’s CAE, a large training OEM and provider of flight simulators, to develop pilot and maintenance technician training programs for Alia. Rival eVTOL manufacturer Joby Aviation has a similar agreement.

“With its mature air travel market demographic and existing challenges for conventional transportation between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, southern B.C. provides an exciting opportunity to demonstrate the commercial viability and environmental sustainability of AAM in B.C. and Canada,” said JR Hammond, executive director of Canadian Advanced Air Mobility (CAAM), the country’s national AAM consortium, of which Helijet is a founding member.

Citing a 2020 white paper from Nexa Advisors, another member of the CAAM consortium, Helijet and Beta estimate that, over the next 15 to 20 years, the Greater Vancouver area has the potential to serve 4.2 million passengers using eVTOL aircraft. That could translate to about $1.5 billion (2.1 million Canadian dollars) in new AAM business activity.

To support those aims, Helijet is leading the development of a commercial vertiport at its downtown Vancouver waterfront heliport. The site is planned to be an intermodal transportation hub, connecting AAM passengers with road, marine, air, and rail access throughout the region.

“This provincial government recognizes the potential of advanced air mobility to decarbonize the aviation sector, improve regional connectivity, improve emergency response times and introduce new manufacturing opportunities in our province,” said British Columbia Premier David Eby, who attended the announcement of the deal at Helijet’s Victoria Harbour Heliport (CBF7).

Alia’s Flight Path

Per Tuesday’s announcement, Alia is in “advanced flight standards development” and on track for commercial certification in 2026, one year after Beta’s eCTOL (electric conventional takeoff and landing) variant is expected to be approved. Shortly after, it will be available for private and commercial service.

Beta so far has conducted eVTOL evaluation flights with the FAA, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Army. The aircraft has completed multiple thousand-mile-plus jaunts across the U.S., the most recent of which saw it travel more than 1,500 nm across 12 states en route to Duke Field (KEGI), a military airport at Florida’s Eglin Air Force Base. Beta also delivered an electric aircraft charging station to Eglin in September, the first to arrive on an Air Force base.

Alia’s flight from the company’s home field in Plattsburgh, New York, to Eglin represented Beta’s first eVTOL delivery to a contracted partner. Just weeks earlier, the firm’s eCTOL completed a cross-border flight from Plattsburgh to Montreal, marking the first time a battery-utilizing electric aircraft landed in the city.

“Between our growing engineering hub in Montreal, our first cross-border flight to the region earlier this year, and the support we’ve received from the government and regulators across Canada, we look forward to continuing to grow our presence in the country,” said Kyle Clark, founder and CEO of Beta.

In addition to Helijet, Beta has Alia purchase orders from UPS, Blade, Bristow Group, LCI Aviation, United Therapeutics, and Air New Zealand, and the aircraft are expected to fulfill a variety of use cases. However, Beta plans to target cargo and medical delivery and military and defense missions before transporting passengers, per Tuesday’s announcement.

Earlier this month, the company opened a 188,500-square-foot final assembly plant at Vermont’s Burlington International Airport (KBTV), which it says is the first such operational facility for electric aircraft in the U.S. Beta also claims the site is the largest net-zero manufacturing plant east of the Mississippi River.

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The Alia’s arrival at Duke marks the company’s first delivery of an aircraft to a contracted partner and the Air Force’s receipt of its first manned Beta aircraft. Beta recently worked with the Air Force to arrange the installation and commissioning of one of the company’s chargers at Duke Field earlier this month.

• READ MORE: Beta Technologies Opens Electric-Aircraft Assembly Plant in Vermont

Beta said the aircraft and its main flight testing team will stay at Duke for several months to work with the 413th Squadron to conduct hands-on experimentation and training with the Alia and its related technology. As part of the program, the Air Force will test and validate potential uses for the aircraft, including critical resupply, cargo delivery, and personnel transport.

During the trip from its home field in Plattsburgh, New York (KPBG), the Beta crew flew the Alia more than 1,500 nm across 12 states using a special market research certificate issued by the FAA. The company said it used the series of flights to test the aircraft in many challenging scenarios, such as flying through Boston’s Class B airspace and the Flight Restricted Zone around Washington, D.C. Beta also met with local airport and municipal officials during its many stops along the route and marked the installation of a charging station at Marshfield Municipal Airport (KHGH) in Massachusetts with a ribbon-cutting ceremony earlier this month.

• READ MORE: Beta Technologies, Shoreline Aviation Partner with Massachusetts Agencies to Promote Electric Aviation

The company also held a groundbreaking event for the first electric aircraft charger in North Carolina at Raleigh Executive Jetport (KTTA), a project conducted in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation and AFWERX, an Air Force program that fosters innovation within its ranks.

“For the past several years, AFWERX has provided critical input and support to the Beta programs. Deploying Alia for experimentation and training at Duke Field is the natural next step in our partnership,” said Kyle Clark, Beta’s founder and CEO. “We look forward to working hand-in-hand with the U.S. Air Force over the next few months as we work together to assess how the economic, sustainability, and energy independence benefits of electric aviation can serve our military.”

To supplement its collaboration, Beta provided a mobile simulator for training Air Force pilots in preparation for operations in the full-size Alia aircraft.

“The Department of the Air Force is constantly searching for the next generation of technology to make our warfighters safer and more efficient,” said Colonel Elliott Leigh, AFWERX director and chief commercialization officer for the Department of the Air Force. “As agile innovators, we believe that partnering with American businesses is the key to this goal for delivering disruptive air capabilities.”

Beta said its Alia eCTOL and eVTOL aircraft continue to progress toward FAA certification. The company said it anticipates the eCTOL model will enter service in 2025 followed by the eVTOL in 2026.

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The company said it has begun installing the assembly tooling and production line systems, marking “a significant milestone along [Beta’s] path to delivering its electric aircraft to military and commercial customers.

• READ MORE: Beta Technologies’ Electric Aircraft Completes Cross-Border Flight

The production facility, which covers 188,500 square feet, is expected to result in the creation of hundreds of jobs as Beta ramps up to a maximum production rate of 300 aircraft annually. The facility is located on a 40-acre site with the potential to double its size if necessary.

“The team here at [Beta] is excited to enter the next phase of our growing electric aerospace business,” said Kyle Clark, CEO and founder of Beta. “We have worked through research, engineering, prototyping, test flying, initial phases of certification, and now we are entering our next important step of starting production in an inspiring facility. The internal [Beta] team along with many awesome local contractors, tradespeople, and civil servants have challenged each other to create a beautiful, sustainable, and functional building for producing the future of aviation. We are incredibly thankful to this community.”

• READ MORE: Beta Technologies Reveals Electric Aircraft In Development

Thus far, Beta has flown more than 500 piloted flights on its own in-house-built battery systems and conducted more than 10,000 hours of testing on electric motors produced on its pilot production lines, the company said. Because of partnerships with many of its main suppliers, according to Beta, the company has conducted most of its test flights, totaling 26,000 miles, using the same supplier parts and systems to be implemented on its production aircraft.

The company also said it will use a Garmin avionics suite for its integrated flight deck. Beta said it has collaborated with Garmin to tailor its standard commercial products to its IFR-capable aircraft. The company has also partnered with numerous other aerospace suppliers for key systems and materials, including lithium-ion battery cells, propellers, and exterior lighting. Some of those suppliers have provided systems installed in the company’s test aircraft and simulators.

Beta also noted that Monday’s opening adds to its other operations in Vermont, including its R&D headquarters and a maintenance and training hangar in South Burlington, pilot manufacturing facilities in Williston, and a battery research center in St. Albans.

“The opening of the production facility is incredibly good news for Vermont and another huge step forward for Beta,” said former Vermont U.S. senator Patrick Leahy. “I’m thrilled for Kyle and the whole team at Beta to see their hard work pay off, and I’m excited to continue to watch them thrive, innovate, and grow in the Green Mountain State.”

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The company landed its battery-powered Alia eCTOL, an electric conventional takeoff and landing aircraft, at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (CYUL) on September 27. The 30-minute flight began at Beta’s flight test center at Plattsburgh International Airport (KPBG) in New York, and covered 55 nm.

Beta test pilot Chris Caputo flew the Alia with flight test engineer Emma Davis flying in the right seat. The flight included traversing the Class B airspace of Trudeau international, which typically serves an average of 53,000 passengers daily.

• READ MORE: Beta Technologies Will Deliver Electric Aircraft, Chargers to Air Force Base

Beta flew the aircraft to its Montréal office, which the company opened in March as part of a plan to tap into the region’s pool of aerospace talent. The company’s Canadian team has since grown to 70 and is expected to expand further as Beta’s aircraft move closer to certification.

“Beta’s technological and operational achievement of successfully completing the all-electric binational flight from Plattsburgh, New York, to Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, marks a major turning point for the entire industry, the region and the aerospace sector in Quebec,” said Mélanie Lussier, president of Aéro Montréal, and one of a group of industry leaders present for the electric aircraft’s arrival. “This major first demonstrates the industry’s commitment to sustainable mobility, and the fruit of collaborative innovation to redefine, create and commercialize an entirely new response for the aviation sector.”

• READ MORE: Beta Technologies Reveals Electric Aircraft In Development

“It’s exciting to have this opportunity to fly our all-electric aircraft into one of the busiest airports in one of the top aerospace capitals of the world. Our aircraft design is being developed by a collaborative, cross-border team of talented engineers, many of whom are based right here at our growing hub in Montréal,” said Kyle Clark, Beta’s founder and CEO “ Quebec’s focus on sustainability and carbon neutrality matches ours at Beta, and we are grateful for the support of our partners in the region, like ICAO, AéroMontréal, the airport, and the delegation.”

Prior to this first international flight, Beta has flown its prototype aircraft more than 22,000 nm during the past three years, including flights halfway across the U.S. The company used its own charging infrastructure for the flights, which included test pilots from the FAA and the U.S. military.

The company said it is moving quickly toward FAA certification of its eCTOL and eVTOL aircraft designs.

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The milestone comes from electric aircraft developer Beta Technologies, which on Thursday said it will be the first to install an electric aircraft charging station on an air force base. The site in question is Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, where Beta will deliver two charging stations—and a prototype of its newly revealed electric conventional takeoff and landing (eCTOL) design.

The purchase and installation marks an extension of Beta’s three-year partnership with AFWERX Agility Prime, the innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force dedicated to vertical lift technologies. Per the agreement, the Air Force will experiment with Beta’s charging systems and aircraft as soon as this fall.

Beta rivals Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation are also delivering electric aircraft to air force bases, though neither is providing a charging system. Joby expects to deliver the first two of nine air taxis to Edwards Air Force Base in California early next year, while Archer will deliver up to six Midnight eVTOLs to an unnamed base on an unspecified time frame.

“Charging station installation is a critical step to unleash test and experimentation with the [Department of Defense] to leverage emerging electric aviation technology as a capability for the warfighter,” said Major Anthony Zartman, Agility Prime program manager team lead. “Two charging test sites will be set up by the end of the calendar year, marking the first multimodal charging capabilities for the Air Force. Further, the charging stations will provide an opportunity to explore the utility of electric vehicle fleet modernization, as well as base and flight line support equipment to improve energy use and reduce emissions.”

The Level 3 DC fast-charger Beta will send to Eglin was designed and developed in-house. It’s capable of charging an electric aircraft in under an hour and can support the company’s own models, other company’s designs, and even ground-based electric vehicles. 

The system was designed to the standard laid out by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s recent “Interoperability of Electric Charging Infrastructure” white paper, which was agreed upon by a large swath of the AAM industry. In January, the company’s aircraft battery completed 50-foot drop tests with the FAA.

The extension of the Agility Prime contract marks the expansion of Beta’s charging network into Florida, adding to its 13 activated sites across Vermont, Arkansas, and most recently Georgia. The company has another 55 under construction or development on the East and Gulf coasts.

“We are honored that the first-ever fixed electric aircraft charger on a Department of Defense installation is a BETA charger,” said Kyle Clark, CEO and founder of Beta. “The DOD, and specifically AFWERX’s Agility Prime team, have been invaluable partners to us for the past several years, offering deep insights that have helped us continue to progress our technology. The installation of this charger is an enabling step as the DOD looks to transition to a more sustainable fleet.”

The installation of the first charger at Eglin is expected to be completed in the fall in time for the Air Force’s contracted deployment of Beta’s Alia eCTOL. Those experiments will add to the company’s list of Air Force milestones, including earning the military’s first manned flight airworthiness approval for an electric aircraft and flying the industry’s only piloted qualitative evaluation flights with Air Force and Army test pilots.

Those tests were done with Beta’s Alia-250 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) design, which also completed an eight-leg, six-state, cross-country flight spanning 1,219 nm from New York to Arkansas in 2022. The company primarily manufactured eVTOLs before the reveal of the eCTOL Alia variant.

That design, also known as the CX300, resembles the Alia-250 minus rotors for vertical flight. Its airframe, batteries, propulsion, and other systems will be the same as its eVTOL counterpart. So far, the eCTOL version has completed evaluation flights with FAA, Air Force, and Army test pilots, including a 386-mile jaunt from Jamestown to Plattsburgh, New York. The aircraft has covered a total distance of 22,000 miles during developmental flights.

The Alia eCTOL and eVTOL variants are expected to enter service in 2025 and 2026, respectively, and Beta is working with the FAA on certification for both. It applied for type certification for the CX300 last year.

In pursuit of those deadlines, Beta will open a full-scale production facility this fall in South Burlington, Vermont—also home to the company headquarters—where it will begin manufacturing aircraft on the production line soon after. It said new and existing customers have placed orders for the newer design, including Air New Zealand and helicopter operator Bristow Group.

Bristow is one of those existing customers, having placed a firm order for five Alia eVTOLs with an option for 50 more. Beta also has a deal with LCI for up to 125 aircraft and another 20 orders from Blade Air Mobility. But the cream of the crop is probably its agreement with UPS Flight Forward for up to 150 eVTOLs.

Per SMG Consulting’s AAM Reality Index, Beta has just under 500 total Alia orders, placing it somewhere in the middle of the pack. Its figures are comparable to Volocopter and Jaunt Air Mobility, below those of Lilium, and stronger than those of Joby or Archer.

Beta is also a unicorn with a valuation north of $1.5 billion, positioning it well for the future. The company is backed by a pair of major funding rounds: a $368M Series A led by Fidelity and Amazon Climate Fund, and a $375M Series B led by Fidelity and TPG Rise Climate. SMG estimates its total funding at $796 million.

The Vermont-based company ranks second on SMG’s overall AAM Reality Index ranking—which measures a company’s ability to mass produce thousands of units of a commercial product per year—trailing only Joby.

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The company calls the CX300 an “eCTOL,” or electric conventional takeoff and landing aircraft. It resembles an ALIA-250 without rotors for vertical flight. Beta said that for years it has been testing two versions of its prototype aircraft, one for hovering flight and the other for wing borne cruise flight. This arrangement allowed the company to gather a broad range of performance data quickly.

• READ MORE: Beta Technologies: An eVTOL Developer That’s All About Flying

The airframe, batteries, propulsion, and other systems used in the CX300 will be the same as those of the ALIA-250, which is already moving through the FAA certification process, the company said.

Beta said its eCTOL test aircraft has reached a number of milestones during development flights, including covering a total distance of more than 22,000 miles and completing evaluation flights with test pilots from the FAA, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Army. The aircraft also made a flight of more than 386 miles from Jamestown, New York, to the company’s test facility in Plattsburgh, New York.

Beta said it designed the eCTOL and eVTOL test aircraft “to fulfill essential missions for its customers, optimizing payload and range to enable short-haul and regional operations with zero operational emissions and much lower operational costs.” Expected customers include cargo, medical, defense, and passenger operators. The company said new and existing customers have placed orders for the eCTOL aircraft.

• READ MORE: Bristow Group Places Firm Order for Beta Technologies eVTOLs

“We have been flying our eCTOL prototype airport-to-airport for a few years now to drive technological advancements in propulsion and systems, and now we’re seeing that there is a clear market for this product in addition to our eVTOL aircraft,” said Beta’s founder and CEO, Kyle Clark.

Beta said it applied for type certification of the CX300 with the FAA last year and is planning to complete certification and begin delivering aircraft in 2025.

“We continue to progress our ALIA eVTOL design through certification, in harmony with the eCTOL program. The two aircraft are common in their design, allowing us to economize validation of our high performance solutions,” Clark said.

The company said Air New Zealand, biotech company United Therapeutics, and Bristow, a provider of vertical flight services, are among its customers for the CX300. Beta said it is nearing completion of its final assembly facility in Vermont and expects to begin manufacturing of aircraft this summer.

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