Archer Aviation has achieved a key milestone in its test flight programme, as its piloted, four-passenger electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, Midnight has taken flight.
The milestone comes after four years of flight testing, including two years of full-scale flight assessments with Maker, the company’s first eVTOL unit.
Archer’s founder and CEO Adam Goldstein, said:This next phase of Archer’s flight test programme is only possible because of the four years of flight testing we’ve done. Midnight is building on the successes of its predecessor aircraft and represents another significant step forward in Archer’s path to commercialisation.
The next year and a half will be focused on continuing to rapidly advance our flight test programme and Archer’s electric air taxi operations as we prepare to bring Midnight to market in 2025.
As the company continues to advance its test flight programme, Midnight’s flight envelope will progress from hover to full wing-borne transition flight over the coming months. Successful progression will enable the company to begin ‘for credit’ testing of the aircraft with the FAA in 2024 as it works towards full-use service in 2025.
Archer COO Tom Muniz, said:Having taken seven full-size eVTOL aircraft from design to flight test during my career in the eVTOL industry, today’s milestone with Midnight marks the most significant flight to date bringing Archer and the eVTOL industry another step closer to bringing a scalable and commercially viable aircraft to market.
As Archer conducts its flight test programme, the company will also continue Maker’s flight test programme, simultaneously flying simulated commercial routes to advance the company’s operation preparedness. All progression made contributes to the company’s goal of transforming urban travel by replacing lengthy car commutes with convenient air taxi solutions.
