Southwest Ohio has long been a synonym for aviation innovation. The first principles created by the Wright brothers continue to be the basis for flying machines, such as artificial, unmanned, drones, rotary wings, propellers, jets, or rockets. Four basic rules apply at all times. Lift overcomes gravity and thrust overcomes drag.
Beta Technologies, which holds these principles, has established a shop at Springfield Beckley Municipal Airport. The Vermont-based aviation manufacturer has actively established offices and charging stations across the United States, moving beyond flight testing to produce a new generation of electric aircraft with motors and battery technology that can be trusted over 300 miles.
Beta has developed the aircraft alongside a series of offices with charging stations for quick battery charging. Their unique setup will not only beta batteries but also competitors' power aircraft, making it part of Springfield Base, a national chain that supports the entire electric aviation industry.
Beta aircraft are made up of composite materials and are far less complicated than previous aircraft. Electric motors are simple but powerful, and these planes have 70% less moving parts than legacy aircraft. The company generates two versions. This is a quadcopter version from the traditional runway takeoff model, which takes off vertically and moves to a cruise by “creating a runway through the sky.”
The fuselage can accommodate one pilot and five adults or carry a cargo capacity of 1,200 pounds. It is ideal for the modern logistics economy, focusing on lightweight, high-value cargo such as electronic components and microchips.
There is Springfield Airport Houses Offices and a state-of-the-art microdome flight simulator featuring a full-size flight deck that offers training for either aircraft version. The company adapted standard shipping containers to create a modular air base with offices, simulators, charging stations, coffee facilities and, importantly, pilot bathrooms.
As I say to my fellow pilots, the actual range of an aircraft is the capacity of the pilot's bladder. The early airport directory created by L. Ray Jeppesen in the 1920s included runways, radio frequencies and telephone numbers. However, on each page, the airport map featured bold x marking the location of the bathroom.
The Springfield Charging Station in Beta is fully equipped with two bathrooms.
The 21st century reality of product manufacturing at continental centers places the finished products in US transport sweet spots. Ohio is at the heart of a circle that covers 65% of the countries within a 90-minute flight radius. The longstanding American tradition of coastal economic development means that half of these 90-minute circles stretch over the water without customers.
It's not a mystery why FedEx, UPS, and US mail air bases exist in the Midwest. It's all about efficient access to the market and money. The new centers will be Springfield, Dayton and Columbus.
Beta aircraft seamlessly integrate into new models of practical aviation that could operate from smaller airfields, or completely bypass traditional airports with vertical takeoff capabilities. The 1,200 pound capacity of the cargo version is ideal for transporting essential electronic components.
This addresses a longstanding manufacturing challenge I witnessed firsthand. For years, General Motors operated a fleet of aircraft and cargo operators that fleets each night from the Ohio plant to the final assembly plant. The automatic parts were heavy. Microchips aren't.
Midwest weather has occasionally challenged these operations, as pilots are familiar with it. One veteran cargo pilot defied aviation, saying, “There are old pilots and bold pilots, but there are very few old and bold pilots,” commenting after a particularly troublesome weather incident.
Blue Sky's and Tail Wines is presented by SNC, a global aerospace and defense company, with support from Wright State University's Aviation Science and Technology Program. The series is produced at Community Voice at Eichelberger Center in Wieso.
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