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Beta Technologies will join the 2025 Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race with its Alia CTOL.
Nearly 100 years ago, on Oct. 12, 1925, several dozen aviators assembled at Mitchel Field in Long Island, New York, to participate in the Pulitzer Trophy Race, a new contest intended to encourage innovation and drive public acceptance and mass adoption of aviation.
U.S. Army Air Force Lt. James H. Doolittle won the event, flying the Curtiss R3C-2 seaplane, reaching an average speed of 232 mph and providing him with national publicity decades ahead of his famed Doolittle Raid during World War II.
While the original trophy race was discontinued after 1925, the Advanced Air Mobility Institute plans to revive it to coincide with its centennial anniversary this October in partnership with the National Advanced Air Mobility Center for Excellence (NAAMCE) in Springfield, Ohio. But while last century’s race was mainly a celebration of speed, this year’s race is strictly focused on electric aviation.
Scheduled for Oct. 12 at the NAAMCE at Springfield’s Beckley Airport, the race will take place along a closed, triangular course consisting of two laps across three 10-nm legs, or 60 nm altogether. Eligibility will be open to all varieties of electric aircraft, whether fixed-wing or eVTOL. Aircraft without type certification can participate provided they receive airworthiness certifications from the FAA.
The contest is open to competitors from around the world, including student teams. So far, four teams have signed up: two plan to fly the Pipistrel Velis Electro two-seat electric trainer; Beta Technologies will be competing with the runway-based Alia CTOL; and a UK group, Nuncats, will also participate with a kit airplane modified to electric propulsion.
The AAM Institute is also aiming to organize a head-to-head race between two Velis Electros, says Dan Sloat, founder and CEO of the institute.
“Our overarching mission is to increase public awareness about advanced air mobility technology,” Sloat says. “It really boils down to that idea of seeing is believing. We want to give people an opportunity to witness for themselves these aircraft, that they really are safe and reliable. And long-term, of course, we want to increase public acceptance.”
In addition to the racing, there is nearly a full week of programming planned around the event. On Oct. 10, there will be a national electric aviation job fair open to Ohio-area university students. On Oct. 11, grade school students and families will be invited to partake in a variety of STEM activities. Also on Oct. 11, officials from the National Association of Astronautics will be present as participants seek to set new world records for electric aircraft speed and endurance.
Following the main race on Oct. 12, the AAM Institute and NAAMCE will hold a National Advanced Air Mobility Industry Forum on Oct. 14-15 featuring workshops that delve into hybrid-electric propulsion, AAM sustainment, eVTOL operations and other relevant topics.
Interested teams, sponsors, vendors and participants can get in touch with Dan Sloat from the AAM Institute at [email protected].
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