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The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has awarded military airworthiness approval for the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/beta-evtol">Alia 250 eVTOL aircraft</a> being developed by Beta Technologies. The company’s flight-test program for the six-seat model will contribute data for the air force’s Agility Prime program to assess the suitability of advanced air mobility technology for military missions.
For more than a year, the USAF has been evaluating the Alia in terms of its engineering, operational, and flight-test capabilities against the U.S. military’s 516c airworthiness certification criteria. Under an Agility Prime contract, the Alia will help the air force assess possible procurement requirements.
Beta has commitments from express delivery group UPS to buy 150 Alia eVTOLs, with first deliveries targeted for 2024. Blade Urban Air Mobility intends to add up to 20 to its passenger transportation network and these will be acquired via its partner operators.
In December 2020, the USAF issued airworthiness approval to Joby Aviation’s eVTOL prototype. The five-seat design has started conducting flight testing under an Agility Prime contract as it aims to enter commercial service in 2024. 
Under the terms of its military flight release, the Joby aircraft is conducting unmanned operations with both vertical and conventional takeoffs and landings. The FAA has approved it for piloted experimental flight.
Vermont-based Beta also will provide the USAF with access to its simulation and training facilities to allow them to test the Alia for various possible missions. Beta has equipped an advanced urban air mobility simulator near the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Springfield, Ohio, which is convenient for the air force's technical acquisition team, and another test facility in Washington, D.C., that can be used by senior air force officers to evaluate the technology. The high fidelity simulators can generate scenarios to take account of any weather, emergency handling, and battle damage conditions, as well as supporting advanced mission scenario simulation. Beta has also installed battery&nbsp;recharging units at the Springfield site to support test flights.
AFRL engineers will conduct dynamic structural analysis on an Alia prototype using their ground-vibration testing methods. The data generated from this will be used to safely advance the aircraft’s flight-test program, as well as giving the USAF a more complete understanding of the design.
Last month, the FAA gave approval for the Alia to fly beyond its designated test area in Plattsburgh, New York. This cleared the way for flights to and from that facility at the company’s headquarters in nearby South Burlington, and the aircraft already has completed flights of more than 140 miles and at altitudes of around 8,000 feet.
Agility Prime is intended to accelerate the development and commercialization of advanced air mobility technology that could have military applications. According to Col. Nathan Diller, director of the USAF’s Afwerx unit, the Alia is the first aircraft to have been issued with airworthiness authorization for manned flights. “This not only unlocks the opportunity to begin Air Force-directed manned flight tests, but it also shows the high level of maturity of this technology and the high level of maturity of Agility Prime partner companies like Beta,” he commented.
“Electric aviation is a national security priority and fortunately this was recognized early by the Air Force,” said Beta Technologies founder and CEO Kyle Clark. “The speed and efficiency of the Air Force Agility Prime program to support sustainable electric aviation has been remarkable. The people and expertise that the Air Force has brought to the electric aviation industry—and specifically our Alia program—is accelerating the development of incredibly capable, safe, and reliable aircraft.”

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

U.S. Air Force Awards Airworthiness Approval to Beta's Alia eVTOL Prototype

Blade Urban Air Mobility has reached an agreement to add&nbsp;up to 20 of <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/beta-evtol">Beta Technologies’ Alia 250 eVTOL aircraft</a> to its passenger transportation services network. The deal announced today calls for the all-electric lift-and-cruise model to join Blade’s fleet in 2024, with operations expected to start in 2025.
In the announcement, Beta refers to the Alia as an “electric vertical aircraft" (EVA)&nbsp;rather than using the standard industry term eVTOL. Last week, express delivery group UPS announced that it will buy 150 of the aircraft, plus some of Beta’s electric charging stations, with the first 10 aircraft due to be delivered in 2024.
On a full charge, the $4 million Alia will be able to operate on routes of up to 250 nm (288 miles), carrying six people (including a pilot) or three standard cargo pallets at speeds of up to 170 mph. Beta says it will take 50 minutes to recharge the aircraft, which is to be certified under FAA’s Part 23 rules. 
Blade says that initially, the Alia will operate from the company’s existing private terminal infrastructure in the northeast U.S. where Beta will install its purpose-built recharging facilities. Most of the company’s services, which currently use a mix of helicopters and amphibious fixed-wing aircraft, are&nbsp;concentrated around the New York City area, as well as south Florida, Nantucket, and the Hamptons. According to Beta, the Alia will be 10 times quieter than a helicopter when hovering, and even quieter during cruise flight.
According to Blade, the aircraft will be acquired through its “third-party financing relationships” with its operating partners as part of its “asset-light” operating model. Jet Linx Aviation is set to be the first Blade partner to start operating the Aria and is expected to take an initial batch of five aircraft under an interim agreement. This&nbsp;includes a commitment from Blade to book a minimum number of revenue flight hours.
The operator is backed by RedBird Capital Partners, which is also an investor in both Blade and Beta Technologies. The "binding agreement" with Beta calls for Blade to take at least 5 and up to 20 of the new aircraft.&nbsp;
“The Alia’s extremely low sound footprint coupled with its zero-emissions design will enable us to reduce the noise and environmental impact to the communities surrounding the existing heliport and airport infrastructure we currently use,” said Blade founder and CEO Rob Wiesenthal. “Alia is a full-scale EVA flying in piloted configuration almost every day. The [Beta] team’s progress is formidable.”
In December 2020, Blade announced plans for an IPO merger with special purpose acquisition company Experience Investment Corp. This transaction is expected to close in May&nbsp;2021.
According to Beta, its founder, CEO, and chief pilot Kyle Clark has logged several hundred hours in over 250 flights in the Alia and the company's earlier Ava XC technology demonstrator. The company’s progress with the development program for the new aircraft has largely been conducted privately by an engineering team recruited from organizations including Boeing, Tesla, SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, General Electric, and the FAA. 
The company said that it has already developed flight simulators to train Alia pilots. These are located at its headquarters in Burlington, Vermont;&nbsp;Washington, D.C.;&nbsp;and Springfield, Ohio. 
Beta plans to develop a network of charging stations at sites across the U.S. to support operators. These will have an elevated deck on which the aircraft can land, plus workspace and rest facilities for the flight crew.
Medical technology group United Therapeutics is an investor in Vermont-based Beta and has previously committed to buying an unspecified number of the Alia aircraft for transporting human organs for transplant procedures. Beta is also receiving support from contracts awarded by the U.S. Air Force’s Agility Prime program to accelerate the commercialization of air mobility vehicles that could have military applications.

Blade Orders 20 Beta Alia Aircraft for Air Mobility Services

Beta Technologies today signed up a third customer for its <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/beta-evtol">Alia 250 eVTOL aircraft</a> with UPS Flight Forward announcing plans to buy up to 150 units. The express package delivery giant said that it intends to take delivery of the first 10 aircraft in 2024, with the remaining 140 units covered by options.
With the capability to take off&nbsp;and land directly on UPS properties, the eVTOL aircraft would move smaller loads that would otherwise be transported to and from airports on small feeder aircraft or on the ground. Vehicle specifications for the all-electric Alia show a cargo capacity of 1,400 pounds and a range of 250 miles.
“This is all about innovation with a focus on returns for our business, our customers, and the environment,” said Juan Perez, UPS chief information and engineering officer. “These new aircraft will create operational efficiencies in our business, open possibilities for new services, and serve as a foundation for future solutions to reduce the emissions profile of our air and ground operation.”
The company intends to use the recharging stations that Beta has developed to recharge the batteries for each aircraft in less than one hour. While allowing for faster cargo loading and unloading, the charging stations also offer&nbsp;the aircraft&nbsp;batteries a second life. After their first lifecycle in an aircraft ends, they can be fitted to the charging station to recharge the aircraft’s onboard batteries or be used to power UPS’s fleet of electric ground vehicles.
UPS says it already has more than 12,000 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles deployed worldwide. It is committed to purchasing up to 10,000&nbsp;electric ground vehicles from Arrival, many of which that manufacturer will produce in&nbsp;North Carolina.&nbsp;
Beta has been working on its eVTOL aircraft design since 2017, with the Alia 250 having been developed from an earlier technology demonstrator called the Ava. It is conducting extensive test flights with a prototype operating out of Plattsburgh Airport in New York, which is close to the company headquarters in Burlington, Vermont. 
The United Therapeutics medical technology group has previously committed to buying an unspecified number of Alia 250s to use for transporting human organs for transplant procedures. The U.S. Air Force is also backing Beta with a research and development contract through its Agility Prime program.
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U.S. Air Force Awards Airworthiness Approval to Beta's Alia eVTOL Prototype

Blade Orders 20 Beta Alia Aircraft for Air Mobility Services

UPS Commits to Operating Beta's Alia eVTOL Aircraft for Package Deliveries

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