Dive Brief:
- The Federal Aviation Administration issued its first Special Airworthiness Market Survey Certificate to Beta Technologies, the agency announced last week. It applies to Beta’s A250 electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for the purpose of conducting market surveys.
- Beta, an aircraft, defense and electric charging infrastructure company, made its first flight under the certificate on Oct. 20, departing Plattsburgh International Airport in New York and landing at Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport in Vermont. The 34-mile flight took 20 minutes, according to Beta.
- Beta is authorized to conduct flights with pilots and passengers from commercial airports within a prescribed geographic area, according to Wings magazine. The FAA’s action moves the air taxi industry closer to commercial flights, the agency said.
Dive Insight:
Air taxi developers have been conducting piloted flights in their quest for full FAA certification to operate commercially, but none have carried passengers. Joby Aviation flew piloted flights in North Texas in September and will conduct flights in Florida in November. Archer Aviation completed piloted demonstration flights in the San Francisco Bay Area this month.
Potential Beta customers will be able to experience its eVTOL aircraft “and begin planning how it fits into their businesses, from connecting communities to moving people and goods at a lower cost,” Kyle Clark, founder and chief executive officer of Beta, said in a statement. The A250 aircraft can carry a pilot, up to five passengers and 1,200 pounds of cargo.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement that the certification “is another critical step towards enabling the future of flight in America.”
The FAA also last week released draft design standards for vertical flight facilities. The standards include power and charging systems, touchdown, liftoff and final approach areas for airport and rooftop locations and visual flight aids for pilots.
The draft standards are an “initial proposal for industry feedback,” the FAA said in a news release. They would apply to helicopters, other rotorcraft and VTOL aircraft. The FAA said it expects to publish final design standards by next summer.
