Aircraft
Archer’s Midnight eVTOL Aircraft Starts Piloted Test Flights
First pilot-on-board flights featured conventional takeoffs and landings
Archer Midnight eVTOL aircraft
The first piloted test flights with Archer’s Midnight eVTOL aircraft were used to demonstrate its conventional takeoff and landing performance. © Archer Aviation

Archer Aviation has started piloted flight tests with its Midnight eVTOL aircraft prototype. On June 2, the company announced that the first flights with chief test pilot Jeff Greenwood at the controls took place in California last week.

The first sortie in this next phase of flight testing featured a conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL), with Archer seeking to demonstrate this capability in tandem with the Midnight vertical takeoff and landing performance. With 12 propellers, including six that tilt in VTOL mode, the electric aircraft cruised at speeds of up to 109 knots and reached a maximum altitude of more than 1,500 feet.

In this article