US air taxi developer Archer Aviation has revealed that it is building a trio of Midnight aircraft that will conform to the company’s intended type design.
The start-up said on 7 February that the first of the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft will begin final assembly at its manufacturing facility in San Jose, California within the next several weeks.
Archer’s initial production run of Midnight aircraft will feature conforming components and flight systems, and will be used for a piloted certification programme with the Federal Aviation Administration later this year.
”The key to achieving FAA certification is flying a conforming aircraft,” says chief executive Adam Goldstein. ”I believe we are positioned to be the first in the sector to do so.”
Pushing for a commercial launch in 2025, the company says the four-passenger Midnight will be capable of rapid back-to-back flights of 10-20min.
The aircraft has 12 rotors, half of which tilt for forward flight. Midnight also has a wingspan greater than 15m (49ft), as the company believes such scale is necessary to carry payloads exceeding 454kg (1,000lb).
Midnight is intended to appear imposing because the all-electric aircraft will need to make strong first impressions, Archer’s vice-president of design and innovation Julien Montousse told FlightGlobal last month.
“We knew that, every 10min, the plane is going to land,” he says. ”How do we convey confidence to the customer when the plane is landing, it is stable?”
For example, Archer’s landing gear is designed for structural integrity – and to convey a sense of steadiness when it compresses on the ground.
Montousse believes Midnight compares favourably to competing eVTOL designs in that regard: ”I think the biggest difference is going to be the landing gear design in the way we’ve been able to establish confidence.”
Archer is racing rival California eVTOL start-up Joby Aviation to be the first air taxi company to fly passengers commercially in the USA. It plans to roll out in New York City through its partnership with United Airlines.
The start-up is also aiming to establish operations in Chicago, Miami, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
”From day one, Archer’s strategy has been to build an aircraft that is certifiable and manufacturable at scale,” Goldstein says. ”This focus is what has allowed us to move quicker and more efficiently than any other company in the industry over the last few years.”
Archer has been using production prototypes of Midnight for internal flight-testing in recent months, with the next hurdle being transition from hovering to forward flight. The aircraft hovered for the first time in October 2023.
