An all-electric aircraft just landed in history Tuesday.
It wasn’t exactly Charles Lindbergh starting his 3,600-mile nonstop flight to Paris from New York in 1927, but the 45-minute jaunt of Beta Technologies’ Alia CX300 from Suffolk County to John F. Kennedy International Airport was a groundbreaking aviation feat nonetheless. The demonstration marked the first passenger-carrying electric aircraft flight in U.S. history.
“That flight we just took from East Hampton to here was like $8 in electricity,” said Beta CEO Kyle Clark, who piloted the small aircraft. He said the historic flight showcases the future of urban air mobility amid a longstanding push for electric aviation, reduced emissions, and eased congestion. He hopes to be flying commercial passengers by 2026, although it’s unclear exactly how much it will cost.
Joining Clark on Tuesday’s short trip were four passengers, including Andrew Kimball, CEO of NYC Economic Development Corp. “So quiet, so efficient, so green. Really will transform the industry,” Kimball said.
The Alia, which earlier this year flew 8,000 nautical miles across more than 25 states on a six-week barnstorm of the U.S., cruised at about 1,500 feet along the shoreline to JFK. Joining Clark and Kimball on the flight were Blade CEO Rob Wiesenthal and Republic President Matt Koscal.
Under development for 6 years, the CX300 was designed to fly as many as five passengers or 1,250 pounds of cargo at a cruising speed of about 150 knots and range of 336 nautical miles. Its charge time of less than one hour makes it suited for regional trips with minimal downtime. Electric batteries in the aircraft’s belly feed dual redundant electric motors in the tail, powering four vertical lift propellers and one fixed-pitch propeller.
Beta has partnerships with Fixed Based Operator (FBO) networks Atlantic Aviation, Signature Aviation, and Shoreline Aviation to install chargers in their terminals. Its U.S. customers include UPS, the Air Force, United Therapeutics and Bristow Group.
The flight of Alia CX300 also marks a significant milestone in all-electric air travel at a time when electric cars, trucks and other land vehicles are ubiquitous.
“Over the next decade, we expect to see the viability and use of advanced electric aircraft technology — like the one demonstrated by Beta here today — significantly expand,” said Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority. “We will continue to hold safety as paramount to these demonstrations and support aggressive investments in the region and the nation’s air traffic control capabilities to support the future of aviation.”
Alia’s successful debut adds to a rich aviation history for New York’s Port Authority. Long before JFK airport was built, Amelia Earhart flew to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey in 1932 after becoming the first woman to fly solo across the U.S. A Boeing 747 completed the first transatlantic jumbo jet flight from JFK to London’s Heathrow Airport in 1970.
“Today, it’s an electric flight to JFK,” Kimball said. “Next time, we hope to continue the journey between airports and heliports…The greatest city in the world will soon have the world’s most advanced air mobility network.”
