The First Production Electric Plane Has Taken To The Skies Of The US
BETA Technologies has completed the first flight of its production electric aircraft ALIA CTOL. The tests, conducted by the company’s founder and test pilot Kyle Clark, lasted almost an hour. During the flight, the aircraft rose to an altitude of 2,133 m, after which it made several approaches to landing and landed smoothly.
The Alia CX300 is a true vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, which is what all startups creating new means of air mobility are striving for. The company has an eVTOL model, the Alia-250c. It is an electric aircraft with four vertically oriented electric motors for vertical ascent and descent. Earlier this year, the Alia-250c made the first transition from vertical to horizontal flight and back. The Alia CX300 is almost exactly the same design, only without vertically mounted engines. It only has a tail pusher engine (propeller) and has lost the ability to fly vertically.
In the near future, the company will focus on market research and training new pilots, allowing Beta Technologies to fly the electric plane outside of South Burlington, Clark said. The test flight brings the company closer to its key goal of delivering the planes to customers. Earlier this month, the startup received a deposit order for 20 aircraft from medical operator Metro Aviation.
