Archer Aviation continues to move forward in its pursuit of commercial eVTOL flight. The company recently completed a successful transition flight — one of the most difficult maneuvers in the development of compact flying machines, which are something in between airplanes and cars and in the future will become our new taxi with vertical takeoff.
As a leading company in this field, Archer has shown the result in < strong>160 kilometers per hour. The whole process was filmed on video.
How it was
After receiving FAA certification to begin commercial operations in the U.S., the company is focusing on its Midnight flagship aircraft to ensure its safe operation before it begins taking passengers on board.
Midnight takes off vertically like a helicopter, then switches its rotors in the air to move forward. It then returns to a vertical position again to descend for a safe landing. This is what is called a “transitional flight”.
As the Archer team points out in the video below, this transition phase is one of the most difficult and tricky maneuvers, so achieving this milestone is significant.
Watch Archer eVTOL makes a transition flight: video
On June 8, 2024, Per Archer's Midnight eVTOL aircraft completed a successful transition flight, reaching speeds of over 100 mph. This milestone marks a new stage in development. But this was already the second such test in general for the company, although the first for this aircraft. Archer's first transition flight took place in November 2022 on a first-generation eVTOL aircraft called the Maker.
Notably, the Midnight is one of the heaviest production aircraft in its segment, 6,500 pounds or nearly 2,950 kilograms , so it adds weight to his achievement.
Archer Chief Engineer Dr. Jeff Bauer spoke about the Midnight eVTOL and what the company's successful test flight means for its future at AAM: “The successful completion of the transition from hovering to flying on the wing of a full-scale eVTOL aircraft – is a tremendous engineering feat that has been accomplished accomplished by only a few companies in the world.Over the course of the seven eVTOL aircraft I've built and flown in my career, they've gotten bigger and bigger as we've worked toward a payload that makes the aircraft platform commercially viable.Midnight is believed to be one of the largest eVTOL aircraft ever to go electric, and one of the first purpose-built to carry enough passengers to be able to run a successful air taxi business, I am extremely proud of the Archer team as we have achieved this milestone by building two generation of full-scale aircraft”.
Archer says it will continue the Midnight flight test program, which includes flight plans on simulated commercial routes, high-speed flights and testing of additional flight maneuvers used in commercial operations. At the same time, work on increasing speed and endurance will continue.
What is known about Archer Aviation
- Archer Aviation – a California-based developer of eVTOL vehicles that has quickly become a recognizable brand in the nascent Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) segment.
- In recent months, much of the news about flying cars or similar vehicles has been about the company. Archer, which has formed several new partnerships in the US and around the world to commercialize its technology for air taxis and cargo transportation.
- It initially plans to launch eVTOL air taxi services in the United Arab Emirates and India, and by 2026 – in South Korea.