BETA Technologies and Marshall University have activated a 320-kilowatt electric aircraft charging station at West Virginia International Yeager Airport (CRW), integrating advanced air mobility infrastructure directly into the university’s commercial pilot training program.

Announced in a joint press release on October 9, 2026, the installation of the BETA Charge Cube was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a demonstration flight of BETA’s all-electric ALIA conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft. The deployment expands BETA’s charging network in Appalachia and positions Marshall University’s Bill Noe Flight School to incorporate electric propulsion into its curriculum.

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Infrastructure and educational integration

The activation event drew more than 200 attendees to the Charleston airport. The newly installed 320 kW Charge Cube is multimodal, designed to power both electric aircraft and ground vehicles. By co-locating the charger at the Bill Noe Flight School, BETA and Marshall University aim to expose the next generation of aviation professionals to Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technology.

Blain Newton, Chief Information Officer at BETA Technologies, emphasized the importance of building a comprehensive support structure for the emerging sector.

BETA is investing in the entire ecosystem that makes electric aviation possible: the aircraft, the charging network and the people who will fly and maintain them.

Marshall University Aviation operates an FAA Part 141 bachelor’s degree program in professional pilot training. The school utilizes a fleet of Cirrus SR20 aircraft and expects to reach an enrollment of 350 students at full operation, with a goal of producing 50 commercial pilots annually.

Bill Noe, Chief Aviation Officer at Marshall University Aviation, noted that the partnership provides a distinct educational advantage.

Investing in this complete technology ecosystem establishes Marshall University as an early adopter and regional leader in advanced air mobility education. By embedding electric propulsion, thermal management and modern flight controls directly into our flight and maintenance programs, we are ensuring our graduates are ready to lead the aerospace industry into the future while driving economic opportunity across Appalachia.

Expanding the Appalachian charging network

BETA is strategically building its charging network to connect rural and underserved communities, focusing on small and midsize airports that often have limited commercial air service. The company is currently deploying a network of over 130 charging sites globally.

In West Virginia, BETA charging sites are now online at Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport (MRB), Greenbrier Valley Airport (LWB), and CRW. An additional installation is planned for Huntington Tri-State Airport (HTS). These locations are specifically co-located with Marshall University campuses to maximize student exposure to AAM operations.

Newton highlighted the regional connectivity goals driving the infrastructure rollout.

With our first charger now online in West Virginia, we’re connecting the state to a growing network and laying the groundwork for new possibilities in regional transportation. We imagine a future where these aircraft connect small towns to hospitals, to jobs and to each other.

Advancing electric aviation and pilot training

BETA Technologies designs and manufactures electric aircraft, including the ALIA CTOL and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) models. The ALIA aircraft family has accumulated more than 200,000 nautical miles in flight testing, which includes multiple cross-country trips across the United States. The West Virginia demonstration follows a recent deployment on October 7, 2026, where BETA flew its all-electric ALIA CX300 aircraft in Salt Lake City, Utah, to support the five-state uFLY Advanced Air Mobility initiative.

For Marshall University, the infrastructure addition represents a long-term investment in aerospace education. Brad D. Smith, President of Marshall University, framed the installation as a critical step for the institution.

This is a milestone moment for Marshall University Aviation as we look toward the future of aviation. Our aviation program is not solely about teaching students to fly; it is about preparing them to lead in one of the world’s most essential industries.

AirPro News analysis

We view the co-location of BETA’s charging infrastructure with Marshall University’s flight school as a pragmatic step toward solving the advanced air mobility sector’s future workforce constraints. By exposing student pilots and mechanics to electric propulsion and thermal management systems early in their Part 141 training, BETA is cultivating a pipeline of professionals already familiar with its technology ecosystem. This strategy also aligns with broader industry efforts to utilize electric aircraft for regional connectivity in underserved markets like Appalachia, where traditional commercial air service has steadily declined.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded Los Angeles-based Heart Aerospace $2.9 million to advance the megawatt-class turbogenerator at the center of its ES-36 regional aircraft propulsion system.

Announced on October 12, 2026, the funding falls under Phase IV of the Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions, and Noise (CLEEN) program. In a press release, Heart Aerospace confirmed it will match the federal grant to fund a $5.8 million, 24-month research and development initiative designated as Project HYPER (Hybrid Propulsion Environmental Readiness).

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Advancing the ES-36 powertrain

Project HYPER focuses on the development and testing of the turbogenerator that forms the backbone of the ES-36 series-hybrid architecture. The aircraft utilizes two 1.65-megawatt electric motors paired with two megawatt-class turbogenerators. This configuration is designed to provide an all-electric range of 125 miles, extending to a targeted hybrid range of 745 miles, including standard reserves.

Heart Aerospace Chief Technology Officer Ben Stabler stated that the FAA partnership will accelerate the development of the hybrid-electric powertrain.

“The FAA’s continued partnership with Heart Aerospace will accelerate development of this key element of the ES-36’s disruptive hybrid-electric powertrain. Together, we are advancing technologies that will help bring to market a new generation of commercial aircraft that use less fuel, produce fewer emissions and make less noise, benefiting passengers, operators and the communities they serve,” Stabler said.

The project will culminate in demonstration flights of the turbogenerator on the pre-production ES-36 aircraft, which is scheduled for its first flight in 2028.

Regulatory pathways for hybrid-electric certification

Beyond hardware development, Project HYPER is structured to generate operational data that will directly inform the FAA’s approach to evaluating and certifying hybrid-electric aircraft. The ES-36 is targeting FAA Part 25 certification, a regulatory standard for transport category aircraft that currently lacks comprehensive precedents for megawatt-scale hybrid propulsion.

Heart Aerospace Head of Corporate Affairs Cole Randle emphasized the dual purpose of the CLEEN funding.

“We’re grateful to the FAA for the agency’s continued investment in Heart’s hybrid-electric powertrain and the technologies needed to bring electric aviation to commercial scale. Through CLEEN, Heart will advance the ES-36 toward flight demonstration while generating knowledge that can help the broader industry understand how to build, test, and certify hybrid-electric aircraft,” Randle said.

The CLEEN program operates as a public-private partnership aimed at accelerating environmentally friendly aircraft technologies. Phase IV launched in September 2026 with two-year agreements awarded to several aerospace manufacturers, including Boeing, GE Aerospace, Honeywell Aerospace, and JetZero.

Evolution from the ES-19 to the ES-36

Heart Aerospace has iterated its aircraft design multiple times to meet regional airline payload and range requirements while pursuing its goal of lowering the cost and environmental impact of air travel. The company initially proposed a 19-seat all-electric aircraft known as the ES-19 before shifting to the 30-seat hybrid-electric ES-30.

On September 23, 2026, the manufacturer unveiled the ES-36 production aircraft. The updated design features a simplified two-nacelle airframe, adding six seats and 1,415 pounds of payload capacity compared to the ES-30. Alongside the unveiling, regional carrier JSX announced a deposit-backed purchase agreement for 50 ES-36 aircraft, accompanied by purchase rights for an additional 50 airframes. Heart Aerospace reports holding over $9 billion in customer commitments from carriers including United Airlines, Air Canada, and JSX.

The ES-36 unveiling followed a major flight test milestone. On August 12, 2026, Heart Aerospace completed the first flight of its X1 demonstrator aircraft at Plattsburgh International Airport (PBG) in New York. The 25,000-pound demonstrator flew entirely on battery power for 27 minutes, reaching an altitude of 1,100 feet.

The FAA has previously backed Heart Aerospace technologies. In September 2024, the agency awarded the company a $4.1 million grant under the Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST) program to support its Total Hybrid Electric Management and Integration System (THEMIS).

AirPro News analysis

The FAA’s repeated financial backing of Heart Aerospace indicates a strategic regulatory interest in establishing clear certification frameworks for hybrid-electric propulsion under Part 25. By co-funding Project HYPER through the CLEEN program, the FAA gains direct access to operational data from megawatt-class turbogenerators. We view this data-sharing arrangement as a critical step for the regulator, which must develop new compliance methods for series-hybrid architectures before the ES-36 reaches its targeted 2031 entry into service. The knowledge generated here will likely shape future rulemaking for the broader regional hybrid sector.

Japanese eVTOL manufacturer SkyDrive Inc. and MUFG Bank Ltd. launched a joint feasibility study on October 6, 2026, to evaluate the commercial deployment of electric air mobility services across the Kansai region of Western Japan.

Announced in a company press release, the initiative transitions SkyDrive’s advanced air mobility efforts from technical validation to commercial integration. The partnership, which includes Osaka Metro Co. Ltd. and other regional enterprises, aims to establish a sustainable business model under the newly formed “Kansai Air Transportation Network Concept.”

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Developing the Kansai Air Transportation Network Concept

The joint initiative brings together stakeholders across the transportation, aviation, infrastructure, energy, tourism, and financial services sectors. The working group will focus on six core areas required to build next-generation transport infrastructure. These include flight networks and route planning, infrastructure development for vertiports and maintenance facilities, operations and safety management, demand generation, commercial feasibility, and community engagement.

This commercialization push builds on recent infrastructure planning in the region. On October 1, 2026, SkyDrive announced a collaboration with Osaka Metro under a Cabinet Office Super City research project. That study focuses on converting existing rooftop emergency helipads on urban buildings into operational vertiports to support the planned flight network.

SkyDrive’s SD-05 aircraft and financial backing

Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, SkyDrive is developing the SD-05 to serve short-distance urban air mobility markets. The aircraft is a three-seat electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle, configured for one pilot and two passengers.

The SD-05 utilizes 12 motor rotors and has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,400 kilograms. It is designed to operate at a maximum cruising speed of 100 km/h, with an operational range between 15 and 40 kilometers. The manufacturer conducted technical validation and demonstration flights of the SD-05 during Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, which concluded earlier in the year.

MUFG Bank has been a primary financial supporter of the manufacturer’s development program. In July 2025, the financial institution led an ¥8.3 billion Pre-Series D funding round for SkyDrive, providing the capital required to transition from prototype testing to commercial operational planning. To support this transition, SkyDrive also restructured its executive leadership team on October 1, 2026, to focus on global commercialization.

AirPro News analysis

The transition from technical demonstration to commercial operation remains the primary hurdle for the global eVTOL sector. By formalizing a commercialization study with a major financial institution like MUFG Bank and a regional transit operator like Osaka Metro, SkyDrive is addressing the infrastructure and capital requirements that often stall advanced air mobility projects. The focus on converting existing rooftop emergency helipads into vertiports indicates a pragmatic approach to infrastructure development, bypassing the high costs and zoning challenges associated with building new, dedicated urban landing sites.