This 5-Person Electric Air Taxi Just Completed Its First Piloted Flight
Archer Aviation's flagship air taxi just passed another major milestone on the road to launch.
The Midnight eVTOL has completed its first piloted test flight, according to a statement shared by the Silicon Valley firm on Monday. The five-person craft notched more than 400 test flights in 2024 alone, but this is the first time a pilot has been at the controls.
More from Robb Report
Inside a New Luxury Hotel Nestled in One of Charleston's Charming Historic Neighborhoods
A Union Jack Flag That Was Flown at a Historic U.K. Battle Could Fetch Up to $1 Million at Auction
A Tourist Damaged Two Terracotta Warriors at China's Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang
With Archer's chief test pilot, Jeff Greenwood, at the helm, Midnight cruised at speeds up to 125 mph and reached a maximum altitude of over 1,500 feet. The craft also completed a conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) rather than executing both vertically. Midnight already showcased a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) in the latter half of 2023.
'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,' Greenwood said in a statement.
Archer says government regulators and customers have stressed the importance of being able to take off and land both conventionally and vertically in Midnight. Having an aircraft that is capable of both results in greater operational flexibility and also increases safety, according to Archer.
'Midnight's VTOL and CTOL capabilities are a strong differentiator for us as they are critical for delivering an aircraft that can integrate into a wide range of operational scenarios while also providing enhanced safety,' added Archer CEO and founder Adam Goldstein.
Equipped with 12 wing-mounted tilting propellers and six battery packs, Midnight will be able to carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 150 mph. Weighing roughly 6,500 pounds, the aircraft will have a payload capacity of 1,000 pounds and can be charged in minutes.
During the next phase of testing, Archer will focus on things like the control responsiveness and stability of Midnight. The firm is also working to get the aircraft certified and into commercial service in both the U.S. and the UAE. The plan is to eventually launch an air-taxi network in New York, providing fliers with the ability to zip from Manhattan to New York's largest airports in five to 10 minutes for about $200. Rival eVTOL builder Joby Aviation is also hoping to get its S4 electric aircraft flying around the Big Apple. The timing of Archer's stateside rollout is still, well, up in the air, but the team expects to start a commercial service in Dubai by the end of this year. Stay tuned.
Best of Robb Report
The 2024 Chevy C8 Corvette: Everything We Know About the Powerful Mid-Engine Beast
The World's Best Superyacht Shipyards
The ABCs of Chartering a Yacht
Click here to read the full article.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Did Archer Aviation Just Enter a New Market?
Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) is ramping up its production of Midnight electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in 2025. The company is small, so the goal is to produce just 10 of the company's eVTOL aircraft. However, management is laying the foundation for long-term growth, and that process may have just taken an interesting turn in the United Kingdom. Right now, Archer Aviation manufactures products that get tested. In fact, the company's income statement doesn't even bother including the normal section about income, because it doesn't earn any. This upstart airplane maker's income statement begins with operating expenses. That isn't unreasonable, however, because Archer Aviation is building its business from the ground up. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » Image source: Archer Aviation. That includes the fact that the aircraft it hopes to sell have never been made before. Midnight, as the aircraft is called, is vertical lift-off and only meant to travel short distances. It is small, too, so it can't really hold many people. The main purpose is for Midnight to act as an air taxi, ferrying customers over congested city streets. This is a new category of aircraft, and the FAA and others are only now starting to wrap their heads around the idea. There's still a lot more testing that has to take place before Archer Aviation receives FAA approval for its eVTOL aircraft. But that hasn't stopped management from working to lay down a runway for growth once it does get approval. For example, it has FAA clearance to operate an airline. It has FAA clearance to train pilots. And it has deals lined up to operate air taxi services in California and New York. It is also working toward carrying its first commercial customers in Abu Dhabi later in 2025. There are less restrictive regulations in that region, and what Archer Aviation learns there will help inform its approach to building out air taxi services domestically. When the FAA finally gives Archer Aviation the nod, it will be well prepared to move forward with its business. That said, Archer Aviation is also looking at other ways its eVTOL aircraft could be used. One that has gained more attention lately is within the military industrial complex. It has partnered with Anduril Industries from the U.K. to explore this market, with Archer Aviation providing the technology. Anduril is basically providing it with access to an industry that requires material effort to break into, given the safety and political issues involved. There could be a huge opportunity in military applications. But the latest news release from the company included yet another little tidbit. According to the release: Together, Anduril and its partners will explore civil and defense applications in the U.K. using Archer's Midnight eVTOL aircraft. This includes explorations for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations, enabling low-emission, rapid-response logistics to support a wide range of U.K.-focused civil and military use cases, including cargo. The key words in there are tacked on to the end as almost an afterthought. But "including cargo" shouldn't be ignored or overlooked. A small aircraft that can take off vertically would be a great way to transport time-sensitive packages. It is easy to imagine a Midnight eVTOL aircraft carrying a heart for a life-saving transplant or secret documents for MI6. The real benefit from this, however, is that it potentially adds another market for the company's product. And each new market being served increases the likelihood of Archer Aviation's long-term success. The most important thing for investors to consider with Archer Aviation is risk. It is a money-losing upstart that has yet to generate any revenue. Most investors will probably want to monitor the company's progress safely from a distance. But for more aggressive investors, the company's efforts to broaden the ways in which Midnight can be used make the business more and more appealing. Keep an eye on Abu Dhabi, which will prove out the air taxi model, but don't forget to watch all the other things management is working on, from military opportunities to simply ferrying important packages around. Before you buy stock in Archer Aviation, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Archer Aviation wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $656,825!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $865,550!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 994% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Joby Aviation Stock Jumps on Agreement to Explore $1B Saudi Arabia Launch
Joby Aviation shares rose Tuesday after announcing a partnership with Saudi Arabian conglomerate Abdul Latif Jameel. The companies will "explore distribution and sales collaborations" and the potential launch of Joby's air taxi services in Saudi Arabia. Joby said it still expects to carry passengers in Dubai sometime in of Joby Aviation (JOBY) jumped on Tuesday after the electric air taxi maker announced a deal with Saudi Arabian investment conglomerate Abdul Latif Jameel. The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to "explore opportunities to establish a distribution agreement in Saudi Arabia for Joby's electric aircraft," per a Tuesday press release. The sides laid out potential targets of 200 aircraft and other services valued at about $1 billion to be delivered in the coming years. They also said they see "potential revenue opportunities across the Middle East" in the long term. The partnerships will begin in Saudi Arabia to "work together to explore distribution and sales collaborations, the launch of local air taxi services, including the establishment of aftermarket services such as MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul), and pilot training." Joby continues to expect its first passengers will be carried in Dubai in 2026. Abdul Latif Jameel has also participated in previous investing rounds for Joby, the company said. Shares of Joby were up 9% in Tuesday trading after recently pulling back from a rally sparked by the announcement of a $250 million investment from Toyota Motor (TM). Read the original article on Investopedia
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Morgan Stanley: Tesla Could Shake Up $9 Trillion Drone Market
June 5 - Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) could emerge as a key player in the growing drone and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) space, Morgan Stanley said in a recent note, pointing to a potentially massive opportunity in what it calls the low altitude economy. The firm estimates the total addressable market for drones and eVTOL systems could reach $9 trillion by 2050, driven by rapid adoption across commercial and defense sectors. Tesla has not publicly committed to building drones, but Morgan Stanley believes the company's strengths in autonomy, battery systems, robotics, and large-scale manufacturing could give it an edge if it chooses to enter the field. The comments came after a Ukrainian drone strike on Russian air bases, which analysts said underscored how pivotal unmanned aircraft could become in future conflicts. Elon Musk echoed those concerns on Tesla's first-quarter earnings call, warning that the U.S. currently lacks self-sufficient drone production and risks falling behind countries like China. Morgan Stanley added that even capturing a small slice of the drone market could lift Tesla's valuation by as much as $1,000 per share in the long term, while more conservative scenarios suggest an upside of around $100 per share. According to the note, one eVTOL vehicle could potentially match the revenue of 15 ride-hailing cars. Based on the one year price targets offered by 44 analysts, the average target price for Tesla Inc is $289.20 with a high estimate of $500.00 and a low estimate of $19.05. The average target implies a downside of -12.91% from the current price of $332.05. Based on GuruFocus estimates, the estimated GF Value for Tesla Inc in one year is $270.55, suggesting a downside of -18.52% from the current price of $332.05. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
