The demonstration trip of a passenger-carrying electric airplane that landed at JFK Airport earlier this month was more than a historical first or an aviation novelty.
The airplane’s creator, Beta Technologies, is building the infrastructure needed to support short-trip electric flight across the country, Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy tech writer, reported in a Fox News piece. A New York aviation carrier already has a purchase order in for more than a dozen of the planes.
Kyle Clark, the company’s founder, was at the controls as the company’s electric aircraft flew from East Hampton to JFK on June 3 with four passengers on board.
He told Knutsson, “This is a 100% electric airplane that just flew from East Hampton to JFK with passengers on it, which was a first for the New York Port Authority and the New York area. We covered 70 odd nautical miles in 35 minutes.”
As Knutsson put it, “The message this sent was clear that electric air travel is here, and it’s practical.”
Developers envision the electric planes for shorter trips between urban areas and suburbs, resulting in less noise and air pollution. They also say electric flying is far more practical than short trips on conventional jet and prop planes.
“Charging this thing up and flying out here cost us about $8 in fuel,” Clark said. “Of course, you have to pay for the pilot and the airplane, but, fundamentally, it’s way less expensive.”
The Fox report also noted:
Passengers on the flight could talk to each other the whole time, thanks to the lack of noisy engines and propellers. That kind of comfort and accessibility is exactly what could make electric air travel a hit with commuters and travelers looking for a better way to get from one point to another.
Based in Vermont and founded in 2017, Beta Technologies appears to be at the forefront of the electric flying movement. The company recently raised $318 million to fund production, certification, and commercialization of its electric aircraft, bringing its total funding to over $1 billion.
Aviation International News reported that Blade Air Mobility, a short-distance aviation company with headquarters in New York, four years ago signed a provisional purchase agreement for up to 20 of Beta’s aircraft for its charter flight fleet.
Beta Technologies is not the only company developing electric battery-powered aircraft for short city trips, particularly those that could take off and land vertically.
Archer Aviation, partnering with United Airlines, has just such a plan. It calls upon using existing helipads in New York to launch Archer’s all-electric Midnight aircraft, which has space for four passengers and a pilot.
In October, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) finalized new rules in October for pilot training and certification for so called “air taxis.”
This move was described in the CyberGuy story as “the final piece in the puzzle for safely introducing these aircraft in the near term.”
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
