Archer Aviation has moved to the next stage of flight testing of its Midnight prototype, carrying out piloted conventional take-off and landing operations with the all-electric aircraft.
During the evaluations, the Midnight aircraft cruised at speeds up to 108kt (201km/h) and reached a maximum altitude of 1,500ft, the developer says.
Archer intends for the production aircraft to be capable of performing vertical or conventional take-offs and landings to provide “operational flexibility and enhanced safety”, it says.
“Flying Midnight felt just like flying the simulator—everything responded exactly as we trained for, which is exactly what you hope for during a test flight,” says Jeff Greenwood, chief test pilot at Archer.
Archer hopes to launch operations in the United Arab Emirates later this year, ahead of US certification in 2026.
