Beta Technologies' ALIA electric aircraft at Albany International Airport on May 14, 2024. Photo: Alex Fitzpatrick/Axios
I got an up-close look at Beta Technologies' ALIA electric aircraft at my home base in Albany yesterday — including the chance to watch a takeoff, low approach and taxi.
It's got a space-age design and is impressively quiet for an aircraft of its size.
This version takes off, flies and lands like a conventional airplane, powered by an electrically driven pusher prop in the back.
But Vermont-based Beta is alsomaking a VTOL — that's "vertical takeoff and landing" — variant.
The company is currently testing its aircraft on an experimental basis in hopes of full certification by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2025.
It's exploring commercial, cargo and military applications.
