Trump Admin Makes History With Aircraft That Could Change How Americans Fly

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday that the FAA has handed Vermont-based BETA Technologies a “first of its kind” certification that clears the company to fly potential customers in its electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, known as an eVTOL.

“We are unleashing innovation and bringing incredible upgrades to the American people,” Duffy celebrated on X, crediting President Donald Trump.

An eVTOL takes off and lands straight up and down like a helicopter but runs on battery-powered electric motors instead of a gas-guzzling engine.

Instead of one giant rotor, most eVTOLs use several smaller propellers. They have three big advantages: if one motor fails, the others pick up the slack; they’re much quieter than helicopters, and they’re reportedly cheaper to run, with fewer moving parts and no fuel bill.

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The idea is to fly from the airport to downtown in minutes, not an hour stuck in traffic. Most carry a pilot and about four passengers.

The FAA issued BETA a Special Airworthiness Certificate for market surveys for its ALIA A250. It’s the first such authorization ever given to an electric VTOL. The FAA announced the certification last week, and Duffy touted it at a business aviation convention in Las Vegas.

On October 20, the A250 flew straight up from Plattsburgh International Airport in New York, switched to wing-borne flight, and touched down vertically at Burlington International Airport in Vermont. It covered 34 nautical miles in just 20 minutes.

“Operators can now experience the VTOL firsthand,” said BETA founder and CEO Kyle Clark.

The approval lets BETA take airline and operator buyers for test rides but does not permit paid passenger service, commercial flights, or revenue runs. It also isn’t the full “type certification” the FAA requires before regular folks can buy a ticket.

Before this, only a handful of people had ridden in the aircraft, including Duffy. He took both the vertical and runway versions for a ride in June.

As of late October, no eVTOL is carrying paying passengers anywhere in the United States.

Joby Aviation is still the front-runner for full FAA approval. It’s in the final stage of type certification, with five aircraft flying and 12 more in production. Even so, Joby still needs an air carrier certificate and a working vertiport before it can launch.

The federal government’s eVTOL pilot program spans 26 states, but nearly all of its flights so far have carried cargo or medical supplies, not people.

The first public rides may happen overseas. Joby hopes to start passenger flights in Dubai, booked through Uber, by year’s end. Its rival, Archer, is considering Abu Dhabi for late 2026 or early 2027. In China, EHang’s pilotless two-seater is certified but still waiting for permission to sell tickets.

Archer has said it plans passenger flights in Florida, New York, and Texas through the federal pilot program.

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