A Hit on Two Continrnts
Beta Technologies’ Alia CX-300 displayed its form and function at AirVenture 2026 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and at the Farnborough International Air Show in England. The static and aerial exhibitions marked Beta’s ongoing devolopment of its aircraft, charging technology and network, and partnerships throughout America and Europe, and in much of the rest of the world.
Beta at AirVenture
The Beta Alia was on display outside the Innovation Pavillion and in the air during the evening air shows, its quiet passes in marked contrast to the raucous noise from other aircraft.
A bit long at 17 minutes, and a demonstration of Flight Chops’ aerial photography acumen, the video manages to highlight Alia’s economy of operation. $2.40 for the six-minure air show routine would not cover the cost of taxiing even an ultralight from the flight line to the runway. That Kyle Clark could perform a full-power sequence, return to Appleton (about 25 miles north) and land with over an hour’s energy in the batteries should turn heads and minds. With avgas hovering around $6 or $7 locally, feeding a 575-horsepower charger would really work better from an electric charger. Besides, foreign wars and dire straits won’t shut down the supply of domestic electricity.
Beta at Farnborough
Another Alia CX-300 showed up at the Farnborough International Air Show, known for being a marketing battleground on which Boeing and Airbus contend to see who claims top sales honors each year. Beta may have upstaged them both with its two previews of a different future.
(This video is long, but significant.)
Not only did the little motor that could twirls Alia’s improbably small propeller in Wisconsin, but a stablemate did the same in southern England with equally convincing results. Then Beta and partner General Electric pulled another show stopper.
The partnership flew yet another 575 horse power Alia motor combined with a General Electric gas turbine on the starboard wing of a SAAB 340B. That development culminated in a series of hops across the Atlantic to Farnborough.
The flight becomes an affirmation not only of GE’s CT7 engine and Beta’s electric motor, but highlights advances in hybrid technology from GE and Safran’s collaboration in the RISE (Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines) program. NASA pulls data from this and othrt industry projects as part of its own research programs.
Part of the RISE progam’s goals is, “Improving fuel efficiency by more than 20 percent compared to today’s engines,” which coupled with reduced emissions, could make tomorrow’s Aircraft better global citizens. This Beta/GE demonstration is a positive milepost pointing toward that goal.