Clarkson University Senior Aerospace Engineering Class Gets Tour of Beta Technologies
On November 14, 2022, the Clarkson University senior aerospace engineering design course took a tour of the Beta Technologies (https://www.beta.workforce) plane organization. Beta has a test flight facility positioned about two hours from Clarkson at the Plattsburgh, NY airport. This tour was then adopted by a 2nd tour of Beta’s principal engineering and producing facility at their Burlington, VT airport site. The students were accompanied by Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Professors Brian Helenbrook and Ken Visser.
Beta is establishing an electric powered vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for cargo and passenger assistance. The students have been initial supplied a presentation of the company’s history, adopted by a Q & A period with the Beta engineers.
In the hangar, the students were proven the to start with technological innovation prototype Beta developed named Ava. Ava served as a tech demonstrator to get the corporation off the floor. Beta discussed that their first thought focused on a tilt-rotor propulsion method. They then went via the style and design system and how they decided to decouple the raise and forward flight modes, particularly the electrical Vertical TakeOff and Landing (eVTOL) plane mode from the Conventional TakeOff and Landing (CTOL) configuration, and so was born the idea of Alia.
Alia is a 6-passenger eVTOL aircraft that can also function solely as CTOL aircraft. Beta has constructed two prototypes of the motor vehicle, one for just about every manner, and is actively flying these as they move towards certification. Pupils were authorized to look at the plane and even climb within to sit in the pilot seat.
Alia is driven ahead with a regular pusher propeller. It obtains vertical lift from 4 elevate props situated on the upper booms. Just after lifting off vertically, the rear propeller engages and the carry props are stowed for ahead flight, once more than enough ahead movement has enabled conventional flight.
The college students had been following taken to the primary engineering plant and hangar at the Burlington airport in Vermont. In this article they were being shown the producing amenities and the place the enterprise engineers do the job. Both equally of the Alia plane were being created there. In addition to the in general aircraft structure, there is a key concentration on motors and controls, as Beta has identified they want to create and make their personal motors and management units. The tour then took anyone outdoors to one of Beta’s aviation charging station concepts, an elevated platform that Beta hopes to deploy as infrastructure throughout the US, not just for their plane, but for all electrical plane. They have now developed extra stations and there are programs for additional. (https://www.beta.staff/cost/)
The Clarkson Coulter Faculty of Engineering wishes to thank Ken ‘71 and Grace Solinsky for their assist! The trip supported one of the program targets of the Solinsky Engineering Management Problem, particularly, to get much more Clarkson engineering students to take a look at producing and industrial crops. These visits assistance students make connections involving their coursework and actual-globe engineering and to excite them about careers in superior production.