Blade Air Mobility Inc. (NASDAQ: BLDE), a technology-powered air mobility platform and Beta Technologies, an electric aerospace company developing electric vertical aircraft (EVA), conducted a test flight of Beta”™s ALIA-250 EVA at the Westchester County Airport in White Plains.
The Feb. 14 flight was the first test of a piloted EVA in the New York metro area. During the flight, the ALIA-250 flew alongside a conventional helicopter before pulling away for a second pass above the airport. The ALIA-250 aircraft is powered by an all-electric propulsion system with vertical takeoff and landing capability and a noise profile that is one-tenth the sound decibel level of conventional helicopters, and it can carry up to six people.
“This is a historic moment for Blade, New York and the urban air mobility industry,” said Rob Wiesenthal, CEO of Blade. “This demonstration is a big milestone in our transition from helicopters to electric vertical aircraft, and we are pleased that our partners at Beta have designed the right aircraft with the requisite range, capacity, and noise profile, for use in our key markets, including our homebase of New York City. We are confident EVAs will be a game-changer both for our company and New York City”™s transportation system once certified by the FAA.”
“Blade is flying passengers in key urban markets all over the world, and this flight is another step toward delivering our electric aircraft to support those operations,” said Kyle Clark, Beta”™s founder and CEO. “We continue to progress our aircraft, flying real-life missions and gaining proficiency in the national airspace. We were glad to be able to fly here from our flight test facility in Plattsburgh to work with Blade to operationalize our partnership.”
Photo courtesy of Beta Technologies
