Electric Aircraft Flies Eight Legs Across Six States

In a remarkable milestone for an electric aircraft, Beta Technologies has flown its Alia test demonstrator on an eight-leg mission across six states achieving a total distance of 1,219 nm.

Thom Patterson

Friday, June 03, 2022 at 08:17 AM ET

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During the eight-leg flight, Beta Technologies Alia test demonstrator flew across parts of New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas. [Courtesy: Beta Technologies]

Key Takeaways:

Beta Technologies successfully completed an eight-leg, 1,219 nm cross-country mission across six states with its electric aircraft, Alia, showcasing the viability of long-range electric flight.
The mission, totaling 11 hours and 44 minutes of flight time, utilized Beta's multimodal charging stations, demonstrating the significant cost savings of electric aircraft compared to conventional fuel.
Alia, designed for eVTOL (though this flight was conventional takeoff), is expected to receive FAA certification by 2024, with initial orders already secured for cargo and organ transport.

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In a remarkable milestone for an electric aircraft, Beta Technologies has flown its Alia test demonstrator on an eight-leg cross-country mission across six states totaling 1,219 nm.

“It’s not something that I know has been done previously, and it will be the first time that our aircraft has done it,” said Beta flight test engineer Emma Davis in a company video. “So it’s a huge step forward showing that it is a viable future to have an electric aircraft that can travel long ranges, not just short hops.”