Helicopter charter operator BLADE reports on social media that in partnership with BETA Technologies, it has “successfully completed the demonstration of a piloted quiet and emission-free electric vertical aircraft (“EVA” or “eVTOL”) in the greater New York region.”
The company says “This marks a very important step to enable the rapid introduction of EVA into BLADE’s New York and short-distance businesses and our future ability to expand where we can operate and land within urban area”.
The six-seat Alia-250 EVA eVTOL flew from the Westchester County Airport (KHPN) in White Plains, New York alongside a conventional helicopter before pulling away for a second pass ver the airport to highlight the eVTOL’s comparative quietness.
In April 2021 Blade agreed to support the purchase of up to 20 passenger-configured Alia-250s by its network of operators for use in the USA.
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(Image: BETA Technologies)