DOT Secretary Duffy becomes first cabinet official to fly an eVTOL

Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy flew aboard a Beta Technologies ALIA vertical-takeoff aircraft at the company's Vermont headquarters on May 29, the DOT announced June 1 - the first time a sitting U.S. Transportation Secretary has flown in an eVTOL. The visit endorses Beta's role in the FAA's 26-state eVTOL Integration Pilot Program and is the highest-profile Trump-administration backing yet for advanced air mobility, with Duffy framing the technology as central to next-generation U.S. transportation.