EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The BETA Technologies Alia aircraft lifted off for its first official test flight here on Nov. 7, 2023.
The goal of this first test was to examine battery usage over certain distances with specific power configurations as well as the ground logistics of executing back-to-back flights with an electric aircraft.
The mission of the day was for Alia pilots to fly 68 nautical miles to Tyndall AFB, land, and return. Upon returning to Duke Field, North of Eglin, the aircraft then recharged via the Defense Department’s first and only aircraft charging station. Alia took approximately an hour to fully recharge. The aircraft received a maintenance check and then a new BETA aircrew flew a second mission.