Electric
Aviation
Glossary

BETA's all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft.

The A250 is BETA's lift-plus-cruise vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft undergoing certication with the FAA in the Powered Lift Category.

An emerging aviation sector that uses electric or hybrid-electric aircraft to transport passengers and cargo in urban and regional environments for on-demand, low-altitude operations.

As a leader in AAM, BETA manufactures two all-electric aircraft (CX300 and A250) and the platform technologies that all OEMs in the industry use including electric propulsion, fly-by-wire (FBW) flight controls, and battery and charging systems.

The combined industry, technology and science of flight in both aviation and space applications including the designing, manufacturing and operation of aircraft and spacecraft.

BETA is a leading aerospace company, designing and manufacturing an electric aircraft platform and propulsion systems that are positioned to transform the aviation industry.

A set of industry-developed guidelines developed by experts and regulatory bodies (e.g., SAE International) to provide best practices for system engineering, risk assessment, verification and validation; these standards help organizations achieve ARP compliance, ensuring their processes align with industry expectations and safety mandates.

The safety-critical service managed by ground-based personnel who monitor, guide, and separate aircraft on the ground and in the air to prevent collisions and maintain orderly traffic flow.

Integration with ATC ensures they understand our aircraft capabilities and enables a healthy and safer flight test program at BETA, which is located at Vermont's BTV International Airport.

An in-progress SAE International standard focused on the coupler for offboard thermal management specific to electric aircraft charging and preconditioning.

BETA is a thought leader in charging infrastructure standardization including working with SAE International on AIR8487.

A scaled, comprehensive set of drawings approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that depict existing and proposed airport facilities, their locations, planned development and land use. It is a crucial blueprint that ensures the safe, efficient, and orderly development of an airport in accordance with federal standards.

The speed of an aircraft relative to the surrounding air mass, typically measured in knots, compared to ground speed.

BETA's ALIA CX300 has a maximum airspeed of 153 knots.

BETA's two all-electric aircraft models designed for sustainable cargo and passenger transport, manufactured in both CTOL and VTOL configurations.

BETA named its first two certifiable aircraft models "ALIA" after Jenesis Alia Rothblatt, whose harrowing story of survival inspired medical innovation and a lasting relationship between BETA and United Therapeutics.

This SAE Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) is the definitive industry standard for engineering complex, integrated civil aircraft systems, covering the entire lifecycle from requirements to certification. It emphasizes safety, traceability, and structured processes.

An advanced aviation surveillance technology that replaces traditional radar. It combines the aircraft's positioning source, aircraft avionics, and ground infrastructure to create an accurate surveillance interface between the aircraft and ATC, making aviation safer and more precise.

Through our partnership with Garmin, ADS-B In and Out are standard in every aircraft BETA manufactures.

The practical, industrial and scientific aspects of designing, developing and operating aircraft including airplanes, helicopters, drones and AAM vehicles.

BETA fosters aviation as a passion; every team member has the opportunity to train to become a pilot for free as a company benefit.

The process of heating or cooling an EV battery pack to its optimal temperature range. This process maximizes range, boosts energy efficiency, and ensures faster DC fast charging, particularly in cold weather.

The design and production of materials, structures, and systems that are modeled on designs and processes found in nature.

BETA's ALIA aircraft design was inspired by the Arctic Tern, a bird that has the longest migration route of any animal on Earth.

An FAA determination under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that certain actions, such as minor airport projects or procedures, do not individually or cumulatively cause significant environmental impacts. As such, these actions do not require an Environmental Assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

BETA's UL-certified 320-kW Charge Cube, the central component of our charging infrastructure, is compliant with the CCS-1 standard allowing compatibility with a broad range of emerging electric aircraft and ground transportation alike.

BETA’s first Charge Cube was installed at our Research and Development Center located at Patrick Leahy International Airport in Burlington, VT. The seasonal diversity of Vermont’s climate provides our engineering team a unique ability to test from -20°F to 100°F in situ at the airport for reliability and human factors testing.

A widely adopted standard for electric vehicle (EV) charging that supports both AC and DC through a single connector and accommodates power levels up to 500 kW.

Fixed-wing aircraft that rely on runways or airstrips for takeoff and landing.

BETA's CX300 is an all-electric CTOL aircraft.

BETA's all-electric conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft.

The CX300 is BETA's single-engine conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft and is undergoing FAA Part 23 type certification.

RTCA DO-160, Environmental Conditions and Test Procedures for Airborne Equipment, is the definitive international standard that defines a series of minimum test conditions and applicable test procedures for commercial airborne equipment. The current version, DO-160G, provides standard procedures and environmental test criteria for equipment's ability to withstand operational stresses such as temperature extremes, vibration, shock, humidity, electromagnetic interference, lightning, and power input variations.

RTCA DO-254, Design Assurance Guidance for Airborne Electronic Hardware, is a requirements-driven, process-oriented safety standard used on commercial electronics that go into aircraft; it defines the development and verification processes for airborne electronic hardware to ensure it meets safety and reliability requirements.

International Standard Atmosphere (ISA) is a foundational model in aviation used to callibrate aircraft instruments and set performance benchmarks. While ISA is theoretical, it provides consistent reference for atmospheric conditions — including temperature, pressure, and density — across different altitudes.

Electric aircraft that can take off or land vertically, eliminating the need for a runway. This allows the optionality to land in a variety of locations while preserving the efficiency, speed, and range traditionally only accessible by airplanes that require runways.

BETA's A250 and MV250 are all-electric, industry-leading eVTOL aircraft.

Used in aviation primarily for de-icing, this chemical reduces the freezing point of water.

BETA uses ethylene glycol for its ground-based Thermal Management System (TMS).

A program launched by the FAA to accelerate the safe deployment of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) vehicles in the National Airspace System (NAS). The program will form public-private partnerships with state, local, tribal, and territorial government entities and private companies to develop new frameworks and regulations for enabling safe AAM operations.

BETA was selected by the FAA and U.S. Department of Transportation to participate in 7 out of 8 programs alongside government and operator partners — more than any other OEM taking part in the initiative. BETA will conduct flight operations with our ALIA CTOL and VTOL aircraft as well as our ground support equipment (GSE). The eIPP operations represent an opportunity for BETA to continue advancing its commercial readiness in partnership with U.S. leaders.

The last leg of an aircraft's landing pattern, aligning with the runway for descent and touchdown.

BETA's A250 VTOL aircraft can make its final approach shallow like an airplane, or steep like a helicopter.

A core avionics component that processes pilot inputs and sensor data to manage an aircraft's flight control surfaces (ailerons, elevators, rudder) and engine controls essential for fly-by-wire (FBW) systems.

With 3 redundant in-house built FCCs, BETA controls all torque and flight control surfaces in its aircraft. This allows precise tuning and automation integrations in a much simpler way.

The trajectory of an aircraft during its movement, which is influenced by various factors such as meteorological conditions, aircraft weight, and air traffic control constraints.

A250's flight path can look different from other airplanes when it is in a thrustborne or semi-thrustborne phase of flight, but is indistinguishable when on the wing.

A mandatory document submitted by pilots or dispatchers to air traffic control detailing an aircraft's intended route, altitude, speed, fuel and passenger load. It enables ATC to manage traffic and ensures safety.

(Not necessary for BETA blurb)

Control systems that replace conventional manual/mechanical/hydraulic linkages with an electric system. They take pilot input, converts them to digital signals, and a flight control computer (FCC) processes them and then sends them to the control surfaces.

BETA's fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system will be the first general aviation FBW system; it is the lightest on the market and enables integration with autonomy without the robotics required with mechanical flight controls.

All vehicles and equipment necessary to service and support aircraft during cargo and passenger loading and unloading, maintenance, and other ground-based operations.

BETA's GSE products provide airfield and hangar solutions for battery charging and thermal management.

The actual horizontal velocity of an aircraft relative to the surface of the Earth, measured in knots. It is the speed at which a plane moves over the ground, determined by combining the True Airspeed (TAS) with the speed and direction of the wind. A tailwind increases groundspeed, while a headwind decreases it. (e.g., a 500-knot aircraft with a 100-knot tailwind has a 600-knot groundspeed).

ALIA's groundspeed, measured in knots, provides data for aircraft performance.

BETA's electric pusher motor that powers our CX300 CTOL and A250 eVTOL aircraft. It is sold to both established aerospace and defense OEMs, as well as new market entrants designing electric aircraft.

H500A is named for the orientation of propulsion, diameter, and revision. H - Horizontal, 500 - Millimeters, Revision - A. We sell our motors to both established aerospace and defense OEMs.

Technology that combines a traditional internal combustion engine with an electric motor and battery to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.

BETA is partnering with GE Aerospace to co-devlop a hybrid electric turbogenerator to enhance our offerings by integrating hybrid electric capabilities including longer range, higher speed and increased payload capacity.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is the trade association for the world's airlines, representing over 360 airlines accounting for some 85% of global air traffic. IATA codes are unique 3-letter, 2-character, or alphanumeric codes defined by IATA to identify airports, cities, and airlines globally.

BETA Technologies is located in South Burlington, VT, at the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport. IATA code: BTV.

A four-letter alphanumeric identifier for airports, designated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), used primarily by air traffic control (ATC) and for flight planning. Unlike 3-letter IATA codes, ICAO codes are geographically structured, with the first two letters indicating the country/region and the last two identifying the specific airport.

ICAO has been a thought leader in pilot training requirements for VTOLs for a long time; they help inform regulators across the globe on safe and consistent regulatory practices.

Aviation regulations allowing pilots to operate aircraft by relying soley on flight instruments, navigation systems, and air traffic control (ATC) guidance rather than outside visual references. It is mandatory for flying in low visibility (e.g., clouds, fog) or at high altitudes and requires pilot instrument rating, specialized aircraft equipment (e.g., GPS), and a pre-approved flight plan.

All of BETA's aircraft are IFR capable.

A unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour, primarily used in aviation and maritime navigation. It equals approximately 1.508 mph or 1.852 kph.

There are a lot of different kinds of knots, but our pilots prefer Knots Indicated Airspeed, commonly abbreviated as KIAS

A format for weather reporting that is used predominantly for pilots and meteorologists in aviation.

BETA's favorite METAR code is "BR"; it means "mist". BR is short for "Brume" in French, but we like to think it means Baby Rain :-)

BETA's mobile charging solution for aviation and electric transportation, available in 40 kW and 65 kW, designed and manufactured in-house.

The Mini Cube's portability, integrated cable storage, and support for the CCS-1 protocol make it ideal for dynamic use in hangars and vertiports.

Infrastructure or systems that support charging multiple types of electric vehicles (e.g., cars, aircraft, e-bikes, etc.) or multiple methods at one location.

BETA's Charge Cube and Mini Cube are industry-leading multimodal chargers designed to charge aircraft and ground vehicles alike using the Combined Charging System (CCS-1) protocol.

BETA's military variant of our VTOL aircraft that draws heavily from the ALIA platform.

MV250 is BETA's first aircraft specifically optimized for defense applications.

A network of both controlled and uncontrolled airspace, both domestic and oceanic. It includes air navigation facilities, equipment and services, airports and landing areas, aeronautical charts, rules and regulations, and personnel and material.

BETA has flown ALIA througout the NAS, and we have operated in 42 states so far!

A unit of measurement often used in aviation and maritime applications; it is equal to one minute of latitude, or 1852 meters (approximately 1.151 statue miles).

While statute miles or kilometers yield bigger numbers, BETA reports nautical miles (nm) in flight data.

A time-critical, short-lived notice of essential information for flight operations including airport conditions, runway closures, navigational aid outages, etc. It states the abnormal status of a component of the NAS, not the normal status.

At BETA, we check the NOTAMs often because we have a fleet of over 30 aircraft with team members flying every day.

An operator in aviation is an entity responsible for managing, maintaining, and operating one or more aircraft. They oversee flight scheduling, crew management, regulatory compliance and safety protocols.

BETA's key customers include cargo and logistics operators, vertiport operators and fixed-base operators.

A company that designs and produces a commodity product or component with its own brand name. OEMs are a fundamental part of the supply chain in automotive, aerospace, technology and medical devices, ensuring quality parts that meet strict manufacturing standards.

BETA is a industry-leading aerospace OEM that designs, manufactures and sells high-performance aircraft aircraft, advanced electric propulsion systems, charging systems and components.

The ambient temperature around an aircraft, which impacts density, altitude, air speed, and engine performance.

BETA operates in average OAT from -20°C (-4°F) in the winter to over 30°C (86°F) in the summer, which provides a wide variety of test environments.

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) airworthiness standard for the certification of small, normal-category airplanes with 19 or fewer passengers and a maximum takeoff weight of 19,000 pounds or less.

BETA's CX300 is in an active FAA Part 23 certification program.

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) airworthiness standard for the FAA's type certification of transport category airplanes, specifically targeting jets with 10+ seats/12,500 lbs maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) and large propeller-driven aircraft.

BETA does not currently manufacture aircraft in the Part 25 category.

FAA-certification category of aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and low-speed flight, similar to helicopters, while using fixed wings for efficient, high-speed cruise flight like airplanes.

BETA's A250 is recognized as a Powered Lift category aircraft by the FAA and a VTOL Capable Aircraft (VCA) by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

A mechanical device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that generate thrust when spinning.

When A250 is held aloft on its 4 lift propellers, that phase of flight is referred to as "thrustborne." The aircraft is "wingborne" when the propellers are stowed and the aircraft is flying on the wing.

A rotary variable differential transformer (RVDT) is an electromechanical transducer that provides a variable alternating current (AC) output voltage that is linearly proportional to the angular displacement of its input shaft.

BETA uses RVDTs in the stick and propulsion controls to turn pilot inputs into signals that the flight control computer (FCC) uses to control the aircraft.

Aircraft including helicopters, gyroplanes and AAM vehicles that generate lift using rotating blades that enable vertical takeoff, landing and hovering (i.e., all phases of flight).

BETA's A250 is not categorized as a rotorcraft because its lift engines are stowed 95% of its operational time, flying on a fixed wing with traditional horizontal propulsion.

A subset of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) focused on using small electric or hybrid aircraft to provide passenger and cargo transport in rural and remote regions, improving connectivity between underserved communities and regional hubs.

Unlike Urban Air Mobility, which is focused on intra-city, high-density traffic congestion, Rural Air Mobility focuses on longer distances between suburban, rural or regional locations.

A MATLAB-based graphical programming environment for modeling, simulating and analyzing complex and dynamic multi-domain systems.

BETA uses Simulink for flight simulation, R&D, certification, and training. We use X-plane as our visual output in most simulations, but Simulink ensures we have a flight test-informed representation of our aircraft for training and evaluation.

Software that provides specialized, real-time simulation and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing systems designed to develop and validate motor control algorithms, particularly using Simulink.

BETA uses Speedgoat real-time simulation and test systems for many applications including aircraft verification processes at all stages from initial software and hardware design up to the complete iron bird with a pilot-in-the-loop simulator.

The communication between the air and the ground that comes from an aircraft's transponder or radio equipment using a specific, four-digit code assigned by Air Traffic Control (ATC). It allows pilots and air traffic controllers to easily communicate something about the aircraft (e.g., where it is flying or anything regarding a flight situation including an emergency, change in flight plan, unexpected in-air circumstances, etc.).

ALIA pilots never miss the chance to capture data through a squawk. Further, if a pilot has an issue setting their transponder in ALIA, they can use the "BETA Operate" platform to squawk their squawk ... fun right?

A concise statement of the expected meteorological conditions specific to aviation to impact an airport (i.e., the area within 5 statute miles of the center of the runway complex) during the 24-hour forecast period.

BETA's Thermal Management Cube is our battery conditioning system that supports fast-turn operations by managing battery temperature during aircraft charging, enabling the highest charging speeds and the shortest turn-around times.

BETA's Thermal Management Cube actively conditions aircraft batteries as they charge, preserving battery performance and safety while accelerating charge operations, especially in varying environmental conditions.

A system that controls the temperature of electronic components, mechanical processess, or systems to ensure optimal performance, reliability and longevity.

BETA's TMS solution is our Thermal Management Cube, which works by circulating a glycol-water mixture through the aircraft's on-board battery packs.

A product that has been independently tested by Underwriters Laboratories (UL Solutions) and meets specific rigorous, nationally-recognized safety standards. It indicates the product is safe from risks including fire, electric shock, and other hazards and is safe for consumer use.

BETA's Level 3 DC fast charger, the Charge Cube, earned UL-safety certification in 2024 — the only UL-certified charger on the market today designed for electric aircraft. The certification process included electrical, mechanical, environmental and electromagnetic compatibility testing.

A subset of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operations enabled by vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles with minimal power and energy requirements. Applications include transporting passengers and cargo within metropolitan areas, typically at low altitudes and for short-range routes.

BETA's A250 all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft is designed to operate from locations with or without runway access making it an industry-leading design for UAM applications.

An aviation term that refers to the weight capacity that an aircraft can carry in addition to its basic empty weight. It is a crucial parameter that determines the operational capability for carrying pilots, passengers, cargo and fuel.

ALIA uses permanently installed batteries instead of fuel, making the useful load of ALIA a more static number than is possible with fluctuating fuel volume. This simplifies flight planning.

BETA's electric vertical lift motor used to power our A250 eVTOL aircraft.

BETA's V600A is named for the orientation of propulsion, diameter, and revision. V - Vertical, 600 - Millimeters, Revision - A

Aircraft that can hover, take off and land vertically, eliminating the need for a runway and combining rotary-wing flexibility with fixed-wing efficiency.

BETA's A250 is an all-electric VTOL aircraft.

Defined by the FAA as a designated "area of land, water, or a structure used (or intended to be used) to support the landing, takeoff, taxiing, parking and storage of powered-lift aircraft or other aircraft..." These hubs are designed for Urban Air Mobility, facilitating passenger and cargo transport, often featuring charging infrastructure.

BETA is working with vertiport stakeholders in metropolitan areas throughout the country, including the NY-NJ metro region, on infrastructure electrification. Through these partnerships, BETA will play a critical role in informing the development of urban charging networks at heliports and vertiports nationwide.

Aviation regulations that allow pilots to operate aircraft in clear weather conditions by navigating via visual reference to the ground, rather than instruments.

ALIA's propeller and control surfaces are located in the back of the aircraft, leaving almost nothing to impede the view on a beautiful VFR day.

Also known as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), it is the world standard time and is used primarily in aviation, at sea, and in the army. Its time is fixed at the Prime Meridian (0° longitude).

BETA's headquarters in Vermont is Zulu -5. New Zealand is Zulu +12.