Archer Aviation Inc., a designer and developer of eVTOLs,announceda successful flight test for its Midnight air taxi. The achievement follows an airworthiness certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in August and four years of flight testing.
The Midnight prototype, which rolled off Archer Aviation’s production line in Palo Alto, California, in May, completed an untethered, uncrewed hover flight.
Following the flight test, Archer Aviation Founder and CEO Adam Goldstein announced that the company would shift toward advancing the flight test program, including transitioning from hovering to full wing-borne flight capabilities in the coming months.
Archer Aviation indicated that these developments would enable the company to begin Midnight’s “for credit” testing with the FAA in 2024 and introduce the aircraft to the commercial market in 2025.
Midnight, a piloted aircraft that can carry four passengers, is designed to replace car commutes with brief electric air taxi flights. Archer Aviation envisions Midnight operating in large cities in partnership with United Airlines, whichplaceda $1 billion order for Archer Aviation aircraft in 2021.
Archer Aviation also announced its plans to continue the Maker aircraft’s flight test program with simulated commercial routes. Maker, the company’s 80% scale version of Midnight, is a technology demonstrator.
Image Credit: Archer Aviation
