The nonconforming, uncrewed first prototype Midnight has made its first hover flight.
Archer Aviation has conducted the first uncrewed test flight of its Midnight electric-vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) air taxi.
The nonconforming first prototype made an untethered hover flight on Oct. 24.
The aircraft was rolled out on May 11 following test flights of Archer’s smaller uncrewed technology demonstrator, the Maker, which first flew in December 2021.
Santa Clara, California-based Archer says testing of the Midnight prototype “is expected to progress rapidly from hover to full wing-borne transition flight in the coming months.”
The startup plans to follow this first aircraft with six flying conforming prototypes to support “for credit” FAA certification testing. Crewed testing of the Midnight is scheduled to get underway in 2024.
“Simultaneous with the Midnight flight test program, Archer intends to continue Maker’s flight test program as well as flying simulated commercial routes to continue to advance the company’s operational readiness,” the company says. Two Makers have been built.
The Midnight is a piloted four-passenger air taxi with a “12-tilt-6” eVTOL configuration. Six propellers mounted behind the wing are fixed to provide lift in vertical flight and are then stopped in forward flight. Six propellers forward of the wing tilt provide lift as well as thrust in wing-borne cruise flight.
Archer says the design is optimized for 20-50-mi. rapid back-to-back trips at speeds up to 150 mph with minimal battery charge time between flights. The startup is aiming to launch commercial air taxi service with United Airlines in 2025.
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