FutureFlight
U.S. Air Force Pilots Take the Controls of Beta's Alia for First Crewed Military eVTOL Flight
Beta Technologies is working to bring the six-seat, fixed-wing Alia 250 eVTOL model into commercial service in 2024 and is also building a network of charging stations across the U.S.
U.S. Air Force Pilots flying Beta Technologies's Alia 250 eVTOL aircraft.
A pair of U.S. Air Force pilots became the first military personnel to fly an eVTOL aircraft in a crewed flight when they took the controls of Beta's Alia prototype. Pictured here on the left is Major Jonathan Appleby and Beta test pilot Camron Guthrie. (Image: Beta Technologies)

A pair of  U.S. Air Force (USAF) pilots have conducted the first flight demonstration of Beta Technologies' Alia 250 eVTOL aircraft crewed by military personnel as part of the Afwerx Agility Prime program. The U.S. manufacturer today reported that on March 9, the all-electric vehicle was flown by Hank Griffiths, chief of engineering and airworthiness and test lead for the Air Force’s Afwerx team, and Major Jonathan Appleby.

Under an Agility Prime small business innovation research contract aimed at evaluating the potential for eVTOL aircraft to be used for military applications, USAF engineers have been working with the Beta team for two years. In May 2021 the Air Force awarded the first military airworthiness approval for a crewed electric aircraft to the six-seat Alia 250 that the company is aiming to start delivering in 2024.