Utah
BETA Technologies completes demonstration eCTOL flights across 6 airports in Utah [Video]
Mere weeks after signing an agreement with Utah Aerospace and Defense to bring Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) to the state, eVTOL and eCTOL developer BETA Technologies demonstrated the capabilities of its aircraft through a series of successful flights over the course of three days.
BETA Technologies is a fully integrated electric aircraft and systems developer based in Vermont. It’s been three years since the young company debuted its first electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, the ALIA–250.
That BETA vessel has since been renamed the ALIA VTOL and completed a piloted test flight transitioning mid-air about a year ago. We also got a closer look at its five-passenger interior this past October.
In addition to the ALIA VTOL, BETA has also been developing an electric conventional takeoff and landing (eCTOL) plane called the ALIA CTOL. It has flown tens of thousands of test miles en route to evaluation flights for FAA certification. As we’ve reported in the past, that aircraft is targeting full approval for commercial operations by 2025.
BETA has completed its first bonafide production build of the eCTOL in South Burlington. Following a Special Airworthiness Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the production-ready aircraft took to the skies for a test flight last November, piloted by its founder and CEO.
Most recently, BETA signed an agreement with 47G (Utah Aerospace and Defense) to establish AAM operations in the state, to work alongside the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO) to identify locations to install multimodal charging infrastructure and identify priority routes for eVTOL and eCTOL rides.
To garner excitement for its technology, BETA recently completed three days’ worth of ALIA eCTOL demonstration flights around Utah to showcase the quiet, efficient mobility potential of its aircraft.

BETA’s eCTOL technology shines above Utah
BETA Technologies shared details of its successful eCTOL flight demonstrations, including the aircraft traveling to six different Utah airports covering over 350 miles. Those visits included Salt Lake City Airport, Provo Airport, Heber City Airport, Logan-Cache Valley Airport, Ogden Airport, and Vernal Airport.
BETA shared that its all-electric flight technology is not only quieter and more sustainable but also cuts the travel distance to those airports by two-thirds compared to relative drive times. 47G and UDOT hosted the flight demonstrations alongside BETA Technologies as the former works to bring commercial operations to the state. Carlos Braceras, Executive Director of UDOT, spoke about BETA’s eCTOL technology and what it means for the future of mobility in Utah:
We move people—and the things they need—using more than just roads. These demonstrations are more than just a technology showcase — they represent a fundamental shift in how we think about mobility. Utah’s population grows and we face increasing demands on our ground transportation system, we know that advanced air mobility offers innovative new solutions to address our evolving mobility needs.
The BETA ALIA can transport up to five passengers at a time or up to 1,250 pounds of cargo. Looking ahead, BETA and its new partners in Utah will align to establish a statewide electric charging network for both aircraft and electric vehicles, create pilot training programs, and develop a model to forecast flight operations.
The agreement with BETA is part of a broader effort from 47G to integrate advanced air mobility into Utah’s transportation sector by the 2034 Winter Olympic Games, which will be held in Salt Lake City. Chris Metts, 47G Project Alta Executive Director, also spoke:
By integrating cutting-edge electric aircraft into our mobility ecosystem, we are ensuring the highest standards of safety, advancing medical response capabilities and driving technological innovation that will create lasting benefits for communities across the state. Utah is attracting investment, accelerating the development of critical infrastructure and enabling the deployment of aircraft that make our transportation system safe and truly multimodal.
The Utah Department of Transportation posted video footage of the BETA eCTOL flight demonstrations; you can view it below:
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Utah
Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president
Jon Anderson will be charged with moving the Orem school forward following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on campus last year.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Incoming UVU President Jon Anderson poses for a photo with his family after an event announcing his selection at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, July 17, 2026.
Utah
Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods
BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — A massive community effort is underway as volunteers and Beaver County crews distribute thousands of sandbags to protect homes from the potential path of floodwaters.
After the Cottonwood Fires, residents have been waiting for weeks for relief to come in the form of rain, though officials now warn it may come all at once with an increased risk of flooding and debris flow.
Emergency Service Director Les Whitney believes that the fire has left plenty of debris to bring trouble for residents.
“We got a lot of water. We’re bringing debris with it, so tree branches, tree limbs, logs, lots of different size firewood, and that’s all in the creeks. We’re worried about that plugging up our bridges and stuff, so we have heavy equipment and excavators located in strategic places so that we can keep those bridges open,” said Whitney.
An estimated 140 homes and condominiums were spared from the flames, but remain in the paths of floodwaters.
Residents can also pick up sandbags at the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office or at the Beaver County Rodeo Fairgrounds.
Utah
Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months
EAGLE MOUNTAIN — An Eagle Mountain man currently on pretrial release in 4th District Court who is accused of abusing his dog has been arrested again for allegedly punching the same animal.
Keith Reaves Davis, 43, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of aggravated cruelty to an animal.
Utah County sheriff’s deputies were called Wednesday afternoon to a grocery store on a report that a man was beating his dog after it had gotten off its leash and was stopped by a bystander, according to a police booking affidavit.
“I reviewed security camera footage from the grocery store, and an individual matching the description of the suspect was seen holding the dog in the air by one paw and repeatedly striking the dog on the right hind leg area. I observed the male strike the dog several times before dropping the dog from approximately 1-2 feet. The strikes appeared to be as hard as the male could hit,” the arresting deputy wrote in the affidavit. “The dog did not cry out or whimper as if the dog was accustomed to the abuse.”
When questioned, Davis “admitted to striking the dog because it was not behaving,” the affidavit states.
An animal control officer who responded to the scene to take custody of the dog noted it was the same dog he had taken from Davis exactly three months earlier during another animal abuse investigation.
In that case, Davis was charged in 4th District Court with aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a class C misdemeanor, after deputies received a tip from a neighbor that a dog was being abused at Davis’ home, according to charging documents. When questioned, Davis “acknowledged hitting his dog as punishment,” the charges state.
Deputies also reviewed videos that the neighbor had filmed. The neighbor told investigators “there was blood from the dog on the ground of the garage and (the neighbor) can hear the dog screaming as if it’s being hurt. Deputies got the videos from the (neighbor) and you can hear very loudly the dog screaming and crying with a lot of loud banging noises. In one of the videos, you can hear the dog sounding like it is being choked by a collar and is grasping for air,” a police booking affidavit states.
Davis’ next court hearing in the April case is scheduled for July 28.
In their latest booking report, sheriff’s deputies note that they “believe further harm will be inflicted on this dog if it is released back to the male a second time,” and have recommended the dog not be returned to Davis.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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