Beta Technologies inaugurates South Burlington electric aircraft manufacturing plant
SOUTH BURLINGTON ― Beta Technologies officially opened a large-scale manufacturing plant for its Alia all-electric aircraft on Monday in a ceremony held in the facility located off Williston Road at Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport.
The mood – not just the aircraft − was electric as dignitaries lauded Beta for making Vermont a leader in the aerospace and clean energy spaces, offering a solution to climate change. Hundreds of Beta employees attended in their gray flame-retardent work shirt with a unicorn emblem on the back and one of the Alia aircraft performed a flyover.
The sleek, white-clad factory, built on a 40-acre brownfield, will be capable of producing up to 300 aircraft per year by 2027, and marks a significant milestone for Beta, one of the fastest-growing companies ever launched in Vermont. In five years, Beta has gone from a handful of employees to 600 with 400 in Vermont as of October 2023. The company raised nearly $800 million in financing as of April 2022, an unprecedented amount in Vermont, according to David Bradbury of the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies.
"Very few people dream big enough and far enough into the future to start an aerospace company from scratch," Bradbury told the Burlington Free Press last year. "I give Kyle and Katie Clark all the respect and thanks in the world for going for it."
Kyle Clark is the founder and chief executive officer of Beta. His wife, Katie, joined him in the company and is responsible for the "culture and inspiration" within the business, according to Kyle Clark.
Clark said in a statement on Monday that the team at Beta is "excited to enter the next phase of our growing electric aerospace business."
"We have worked through research, engineering, prototyping, test flying, initial phases of certifications and now we are entering our next important step of starting production, in an inspiring facility," Clark added.
Beta expects to create hundreds of jobs in its new factory
The 188,500-square-foot electric aircraft factory is expected to create hundreds of jobs, as Beta ramps up to full production for its customers in the cargo, medical, defense and passenger industries. One of the company's earliest customers was UPS, which ordered 10 of the Alia aircraft in 2021 and reserved the right to order another 140.
To date, Beta said it has flown more than 500 full-scale, piloted flights on Beta-built battery systems and conducted more than 10,000 hours of testing on electric motors produced on its pilot production lines.
The company's newly opened production facility falls in line with its mission to "decarbonize" the aviation sector and "help turn the corner on climate change." The facility has 260 geothermal wells to provide energy for temperature control, along with nearly three acres of roof-mounted solar panels contributing to a net-zero campus.
'We're going to make manufacturing sexy again'
Clark says Beta’s mission is clear: to turn the corner on climate change. The new facility is an extension of that mission, he said, and in addition to utilizing geothermal and solar energy, a glass composite was used as insulation instead of pink Styrofoam.
“We’re gonna make manufacturing sexy again,” he said.
Former Sen. Patrick Leahy said Clark has continued to push boundaries and bust through doors and believes Beta has made Vermont a recognized aerospace hub. The $9 million grant Burlington School District received to train technical school students in the work that Beta does further ensures the model can be sustainable for generations to come.
Gov. Phil Scott said he believes Beta will be as important to Vermont as IBM was for decades. It has the potential to draw skilled workers and innovators to the area and attract more students to the trades and to Vermont’s universities.
Sen. Bernie Sanders said it is an important day not just for Vermont but for the country and the world as young people grapple with the affects of climate change on the planet’s future. He said Beta has also created a collective culture where good ideas can come from anyone.
The Vermont ethic is not to deny problems exist but to face them, said Sen. Peter Welch, and Beta is doing that in a way that promotes cooperation over conflict.
The cities of Burlington and South Burlington welcomed Beta to the airport and the location solidifies a natural relationship between the Vermont Air National Guard. Clark said about 20% of Beta’s pilots are military veterans.
Beta’s future includes more growth
Clark said Monday’s opening was phase one and that phase two, in the same building, will double the space of the production facility.
In addition to the South Burlington factory, Beta has an R&D headquarters and a maintenance and training hangar in South Burlington; pilot manufacturing facilities in Williston; and an Advanced Battery Research Center in St. Albans. The company also has locations in Plattsburgh, New York, Washington, D.C., Montreal, Canada, Raleigh, North Carolina and Springfield, Ohio.
Contact reporter April Barton at abarton@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1854. Follow her on Twitter @aprildbarton.
Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosi@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Beta Technologies opens electric aircraft plant in South Burlington
