FutureFlight
Archer Revs Up Flight Tests With Midnight eVTOL Air Taxi
The Midnight eVTOL prototype is picking up speed in preparation for its first transition flight.
Archer's Midnight eVTOL air taxi prototype is pictured during a flight test
Archer's Midnight eVTOL air taxi prototype is now entering the second phase of its flight test campaign, which will see the aircraft pick up speed ahead of its first transition flight. (Photo: Archer Aviation)

Archer Aviation has completed the first of three phases in the flight test campaign for its Midnight eVTOL air taxi and is on track to begin certification testing with the FAA later this year, the California-based company announced January 31. Archer aims to have the all-electric, four-passenger aircraft in commercial service by the end of 2025, starting with routes between airports and city centers.

The Midnight prototype achieved its first hover flights in October 2023 and has been routinely flying for the past three months at Archer’s test facilities in Salinas, California. Archer also has been flying a two-seat technology demonstrator called Maker since 2019, and it achieved the first transition flight with the Maker aircraft in December 2022. Transitioning from hover to cruise is a key milestone in the development of any eVTOL aircraft, and this will take place during the second phase of Midnight’s flight test campaign, according to Archer. 

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