US air medical operator Metro Aviation flew Beta's all-electric Alia conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft with Washington County Emergency Medical Services in Brenham, Texas, earlier this month. The demonstration tested how the aircraft could move disaster-response equipment for an EMS system that answers more than 7,000 calls a year across about 700 square miles. It was Beta's first flight in Texas under the US DOT and FAA eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) and part of Project Nexus, led by the Texas Department of Transportation.

Washington County Commissioner Kirk Hanath joined Washington County EMS leaders to watch the Alia CTOL operate and discuss where electric aircraft could add capability within the county's emergency medical system.

“Washington County EMS is incredibly grateful to be partnered with Metro, and have the ability to contribute to this project,” says Washington County EMS director Taylor Leonard.

Washington County EMS has been a Metro Aviation customer since June 2022. Metro operates an EC145 for Washington County EMS as part of a comprehensive emergency medical services system. The third-service agency operates separately from local police and fire departments and is dedicated exclusively to the pre-hospital care of the sick and injured. It responds to calls across the county, including the Brazos River and Lake Somerville, and provides emergency and non-emergency transfers, critical care services and rescue paramedic services throughout the community.

“In Brenham, we saw what we've only been able to talk about finally come to life,” comments Todd Stanberry, vice president at Metro Aviation. “We partnered with Beta over three years ago, knowing without hesitation that Kyle Clark and his team created the solution the air medical industry has needed for a long time: a more affordable aircraft. We have been so fortunate to have Washington County EMS and the rest of the Metro family involved every step of the way since then, and now, through the eIPP, they got to see the art of the possible become reality.”

The demonstration showed how the Alia CTOL could move disaster-response equipment alongside the county's existing helicopter and ground-based emergency response. Through Project Nexus, Beta and Metro are testing how electric aircraft fit into established aviation operations along a route connecting Galveston, where a Beta Charge Cube charging station is online, with Sugar Land and Brenham.

“Project Nexus is a whole-of-ecosystem effort to build the operating model required to bring electric aviation into routine commercial service across the state of Texas,” says Simon Newitt, head of sales and support at Beta Technologies. “Through the programme, Beta is working alongside established aviation operators, public agencies and mission partners to evaluate how electric aircraft and charging infrastructure can integrate into their existing operations. Our work with Metro Aviation and Washington County EMS applies that model to an essential public service and helps build a repeatable path to expand access to critical services for Texans.”