BETA Starts Texas Electric Aircraft Test Flights

BETA Technologies begins electric aircraft test flights in Texas, evaluating the aircraft under real-world conditions.

AVweb 19 August 2026 Source: AVweb

BETA Technologies has started electric aircraft test flights from Scholes International Airport in Galveston, Texas. The test flights are expected to continue for about three weeks as the company evaluates the aircraft during operations around southeast Texas.

The flights will give BETA additional operating time outside its primary flight-test facilities and allow the company to evaluate the aircraft under real-world conditions.

## Flights Around Southeast Texas

The flight testing will take place between Galveston, Sugar Land, and Brenham, Texas. Scholes International Airport Director Mike Shahan stated that the flights will be conducted between these locations.

Scholes International Airport already has infrastructure in place to support the aircraft. The airport approved a 10-year ground lease with BETA in 2024 for an electric aircraft and vehicle charging site. The installation includes space for an aircraft charger and two electric-vehicle chargers.

## Broader FAA Testing

The Texas flights are part of BETA's participation in the FAA's Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program (eIPP). The program involves several projects, including a Texas Department of Transportation effort that involves BETA, Archer, Joby, and Wisk. This project aims to establish regional operations connecting several of the state's major cities.

BETA has also completed another eIPP operation in July, transporting an animal organ between airports in Virginia and Maryland as part of a medical-transport demonstration. The FAA stated that the information gathered through the program will be used to identify operational constraints, refine procedures, and inform future rules and training for integrating advanced air mobility aircraft into the National Airspace System.