Aerospace and defense firm BETA Technologies has begun all-electric flight operations in North Carolina through the eLIFT program, operating under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s and Federal Aviation Administration’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program to establish a scalable network for rural healthcare access.
Since September 17, the flight campaign has covered more than 1,300 nautical miles, featuring a historic flyover of the Wright Brothers National Memorial alongside simulated deliveries of critical healthcare cargo to rural access points, including a deployable medical field tent and essential supplies. Designed in collaboration with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Metro Aviation, and healthcare partners ECU Health and WakeMed, the operations aim to demonstrate how lower-cost, all-electric aviation can reduce transit times, strengthen regional network resilience, and improve healthcare delivery between major hubs and underserved communities.
“Under President Trump, we are unlocking the future of flight, one test flight at a time,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “More than 120 years after the Wright Brothers took to the skies at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina is again leading the charge to transform how Americans move. Thanks to these tests, we are closer than ever to welcoming next-generation aircraft into our skies.”
“We are supporting North Carolina’s world-class healthcare systems by using cost-effective, electric flight to overcome the distance that can make it difficult to get critical supplies, specialists, and care where they need to go,” said Kyle Clark, founder and chief executive officer of BETA Technologies. “Medical applications have been part of BETA’s DNA from the beginning, and the best way to prove our technology is to put it to work on real missions that deliver for the healthcare community. Alongside our customers and partners, we’re flying and learning from every operation and showing how aviation can extend the reach of healthcare networks to rural and coastal communities across the state.”
The flight network connects the Research Triangle, including routes between Raleigh Executive Jetport and Pitt-Greenville Airport, with coastal locations such as Dare County Regional Airport. Charging infrastructure for the missions is centered around BETA’s Charge Cube at Raleigh Executive Jetport, which was installed in 2024, with more than 15 additional charging sites currently in development across the state. This infrastructure is supported by BETA’s Morrisville facility, which opened in 2023 and has created nearly 70 jobs to support the engineering, development, and testing of advanced flight-control computers. These onboard systems translate pilot inputs and aircraft data into flight commands essential for aircraft safety, reliability, and eventual certification.
“As healthcare becomes increasingly regionalized, large medical centers and community hospitals must work together to ensure rural patients remain connected to timely care,” said Dr. Stuart Ginn, medical director, WakeMed Innovations, and chair of the eLIFT-NC Health Advisory Subcommittee. “Accessible vertical flight gives us an opportunity to treat aviation not simply as transportation, but as part of the healthcare infrastructure, supporting both urgent needs and routine care by moving critical resources and expertise where they are needed. As a physician and lifelong aviator, I see the potential for this technology to become a practical tool that helps us reimagine how care reaches rural communities.”
“For Metro, this is about bringing new technology to an air medical network we already know how to operate,” said Todd Stanberry, vice president of Metro Aviation. “North Carolina lets us learn where electric aircraft can complement the services we provide today. The goal is to lower costs, expand access and safely create new options for moving supplies, clinicians and, eventually, patients.”
Beyond routine medical transport, the eLIFT-NC program is evaluating how electric aircraft can support disaster response and maintain emergency supply chains during severe weather in coastal areas, such as the Outer Banks, where flooding and storm surges frequently damage surface transportation. North Carolina represents BETA’s latest operational deployment under the national eIPP framework. BETA is currently participating in seven of the eight federally selected programs nationwide, having already conducted operational missions in Virginia, Maryland, Louisiana, and Texas to gather real-world flight data for commercial adoption.
