With the completion of a circuit at Plattsburgh, Beta has jumped ahead of its rivals. Photo: Beta Technologies
Beta Technologies has completed its first successful piloted transitions from rotor to wing-borne flight with its Alia 250 eVTOL. The flights took place from Beta’s flight test facility at Plattsburgh Airport in upstate New York. The transition test points were achieved by Beta test pilot Nate Moyer lifting the aircraft into a hover and then accelerating while still in the ground effect zone along the runway centreline to wing-borne flight speed before shutting down the lift rotors and climbing away. The approach was flown in a conventional fashion until a short final, then decelerating to rotor-borne flight and a vertical landing just shy of the 1,000 ft mark on the runway.
The Alia test flight is significant because while many of Beta’s eVTOL development competitors have already carried out transitions, they have all been remotely piloted thus far. Accordingly, with this test point completed with a piloted full-scale aircraft, Beta has leapfrogged its rivals in the race to certification and, ultimately, service entry.
The watch the test flight video, click HERE
