Patrick Leahy: “a person wandering up Church Street or jogging down on the shores of Lake Champlain on a crisp, snowy day in Burlington…”

“a person wandering up Church Street or jogging down on the shores of Lake Champlain on a crisp, snowy day in Burlington, VT, this past winter could have glanced up at the sky and seen an angular, white aircraft gliding through the air. It is called the Alia and is an electric aircraft modeled after an Artic tern that has been designed and manufactured by Beta Technologies. At their headquarters, located beside the Burlington International Airport in South Burlington, Beta Technologies has been ``quietly'' revolutionizing the aviation industry by designing an environmentally friendly, rechargeable, and, yes, quiet, electric aircraft that can vertically take off and land without a runway. It is incredible technology that has game-changing applications for the domestic shipping industry, private transportation, and the military. Their research, production, and testing has been supported by dozens of private investors, several public companies, and funding appropriated by the Appropriations Committee to the Air Force's AFWERX Agility Prime program. The Agility Prime program was launched in 2020 in an effort to encourage private commercial development of the electric vertical takeoff and landing--eVTOL--aircraft industry. I am proud of the innovative work that Beta Technologies does in Vermont. The company employs a workforce of over 350 employees and is growing, employing veterans, pilots, engineers, and technicians.…”