BETA Technologies: Chehalis-Centralia Airport sees its first electric-powered plane land Tuesday

While its propeller was creating some noise on approach, a strangely shaped and quiet aircraft landed at the Chehalis-Centralia Airport late Tuesday afternoon after taking off from Boeing Field in King County.

It was a BETA Technologies ALIA conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) CX300 plane, powered by a BETA Technologies electric motor.

Chehalis-Centralia Airport Director Brandon Rakes invited The Chronicle to come watch the oddly shaped plane land and to get an up close look at the new experimental aircraft.

He also invited several other local officials to watch the plane land including state Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, Chehalis City Councilor John Six, Chehalis City Manager Stacy Denham and Chehalis Fire Chief Adam Fulbright.

“I just want to show everyone these things are real,” Rakes said.

Currently, the aircraft is classified with an experimental airworthiness certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), meaning it can fly but only be used for non-commercial activities, testing and research.

BETA Technologies is still working with the FAA to get commercial production certification for their electric motor, the ALIA CTOL CX300 and the plane’s vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) cousin, the ALIA VTOL A250.

Designed to be a short-range cargo transport aircraft, the ALIA CTOL CX300 has a cargo capacity of just over 1,000 pounds along with two pilots, has a maximum demonstrated range of 336 nautical miles and can be recharged in under an hour according to BETA’s website.

The one which landed in Chehalis Tuesday was actually just on the last legs of a cross-country flight starting from BETA’s headquarters in South Burlington, Vermont.

Ultimately, it will end up in New Zealand, where it will be used for familiarization, route evaluation and testing over the next few months by potential customers who are preparing to purchase the commercially certified version. Though given its range and the lack of recharging ports across the Pacific Ocean, the plane will have to complete its final leg to New Zealand aboard a ship.

According to its website, the VTOL model can operate at around a 40% reduction of the hourly operating cost compared to conventional fuel-powered aircraft, with the CTOL operating at a 67% reduction of hourly operating costs compared to its conventional counterparts.

Rakes, who just finished the update process for the Chehalis-Centralia Airport’s master plan earlier this year, does have plans to install electric charging stations for the new generation of electric VTOLs and CTOLs being developed by BETA and other aerospace companies.

Unfortunately, while he was happy to host the experimental aircraft at the airport to recharge, the pilot had to wait on a recharging truck to arrive as construction of charging stations isn’t set to start until next year.

To learn more about the airport’s updated master plan and future construction projects there, read The Chronicle’s previous coverage at https://tinyurl.com/3ky99jvz. 

For more information on BETA Technologies and the aircraft it produces, visit the company’s website at https://beta.team/.