Hartzell’s Part 35 electric engine propeller for Beta Technologies type certified by FAA
Hartzell Propeller has received the first FAA Part 35 type certification for a propeller built specifically for an electric engine.
Designed and tested alongside Beta Technologies since 2021, the propellor will be used on the Vermont firm’s two aircraft – the conventional take-off Alia CX300 and VTOL-capable Alia-250. It will also be available to all AAM aircraft that use similar electric propulsion systems, according to the companies.
“Hartzell Propeller is very pleased to work with Beta Technologies on this AAM breakthrough development,” said Hartzell president JJ Frigge. “Our design specifically for Beta Technologies is a five bladed, carbon fibre, ground adjustable fixed pitch propeller that will have future applications for the entire AAM industry.”
As well as thousands of hours of ground testing, the propellor also helped Beta to achieve its first crewed transition of an eVTOL, several long-range flights with its fixed-wing CX300, including a coast-to-coast trip across the US, and also a tour of Europe which ended in June 2025.
Kyle Clark, founder and CEO of BETA Technologies, said: “Hartzell’s engineering precision and deep certification experience have assisted us as we bring this aircraft to market and walk through our own certification steps. We’re proud to have been their counterpart on this project, and look forward to getting this certified propeller in the air as we continue the process of certifying our electric engines, as well as our ALIA CTOL and VTOL.”
Known for incorporating composites and aluminium into its design, Hartzell makes propellors for business and general aviation aircraft, including the Pilatus PC-12, King Air 350 and Daher TBM 940. The Ohio-based firm was first founded in 1917 by Robert Hartzell and known then as the Hartzell Walnut Propeller Company.
