The FAA has authorized BETA Technologies to conduct market-survey flights with its ALIA A250 electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, allowing operators and other participants to evaluate it in flight.
The agency said on October 21 that the certificate is the first of its kind for an eVTOL aircraft and expands the geographic scope of BETA’s operations, subject to FAA requirements. The flights are intended to gather operational data and help prospective operators assess possible passenger and cargo uses, according to the FAA announcement.
The authorization is not type certification and does not permit scheduled commercial passenger service. BETA must still reach those separate milestones before the A250 could enter such operations, AVweb reported.
AVweb reported that BETA completed its first flight under the authorization on October 20, flying from Plattsburgh International Airport in New York to Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport in Vermont. The reported route covered 34 nautical miles and took 20 minutes; the aircraft departed and landed vertically and transitioned to wing-borne flight.
BETA says the A250 is designed to carry up to five passengers or more than 1,200 pounds of cargo. The current approval supports demonstrations and operator evaluation, not passenger service for travelers.