BETA engineers are accelerating the end-to-end verification of requirements for electric aircraft by using real-time simulation and testing. "We use models of our aircraft to verify our requirements from the individual component level up to the aircraft level with bench testing and iron bird integration," says Gary Martin, an aerospace verification engineer at BETA.

Based in South Burlington, Vermont, BETA is developing variants of all-electric vertical and conventional take-off and landing (eVTOL & eCTOL) aircraft. Their flagship, called ALIA, aims to expand advanced air mobility (AAM) across remote regions and facilitate passenger transportation and cargo logistics for various industries. For novel aircraft like ALIA, Martin stresses that “confidence in our testing platform is key to verifying requirements using automated test suites.” A reliable testing platform is essential for both innovation and regulatory approval.

To improve team collaboration across the different levels, BETA engineering introduced a testing workflow based on Speedgoat and MathWorks^® solutions, establishing a shared environment that allows for models to be reused between teams.

"Starting with the requirements, we can quickly create models and automate tests using MATLAB^® and Simulink^®. We use Speedgoat test systems to stimulate sensors and actuators, as prototype controllers, or to run models of our aircraft and its subsystems", Martin says. He adds that "Simulink and Speedgoat integrate seamlessly and are easy to use so we spend less time setting up tests and more time focusing on verification."

BETA engineers are now able to verify requirements from components to the iron bird with one workflow and within one solution. They thus ensure their aircraft are working reliably in real-world conditions.