Beta Technologies Partners with Blade Air Mobility on eVOTL Test Flight Written 15 February 2023
ALIA 250 eVTOL aircraft manufactured by BETA Technologies. | Credit: Brian Jenkins at BETA Technologies; Wikipedia; CC BY-SA 3.0
Aviation International News reports that on Tuesday, Beta Technologies “made a test flight of its six-seat, all-electric Alia-250 EVA eVTOL at the Westchester County Airport (KHPN) in White Plains, New York.” The flight, which was performed in cooperation with Blade Air Mobility, “was the first of an eVTOL aircraft in the New York metropolitan area.” The Alia-250 flew “alongside a conventional helicopter before pulling away for a second pass above the airport to highlight the eVTOL’s comparative quietness.” Beta claims that “its noise profile is one-tenth that of a conventional helicopter.” In April 2021, Blade “agreed to facilitate the purchase of up to 20 passenger-configured Alia-250s by its network of operators.” Blade intends to “deploy these aircraft on routes between its network of dedicated terminals in the U.S. Beta has also agreed to provide and install charging infrastructure at certain key locations.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)