Archer Aviation achieved transition flight. Here’s why that’s a big deal

With the Paris 2024 Olympic games just around the corner, we might be very close to seeing eVTOL flying taxis carry paying passengers for the first time.

German eVTOL firm Volocopter aims to have its VoloCity flying taxi ready for the games beginning on July 26.

Another firm, Archer Aviation, recently signed an agreement with NASA to test its electric aviation batteries. It also completed its first transition flight earlier this month, a big milestone for any eVTOL firm.

“It is such a challenging maneuver because the configuration of the aircraft changes so much during flight going from hover mode to cruise mode with the front and aft propellers,” Archer CTO Tom Muniz explained to Interesting Engineering in an interview.

Archer completes key transition milestone

California-based Archer Aviation announced on June 12 that its Midnight eVTOL aircraft successfully completed transition flying over 100 mph during flight tests on June 8.

In a press statement , the company claimed that its Midnight air taxi is one of the largest aircraft to have completed transition flights. It also called the transition a critical milestone for commercially viable eVTOL flying taxi operations.

“Transition is well known in the industry as a very difficult milestone few companies have reached,” Muniz told IE. “At ~6,500 lbs, Midnight is believed to be one of the largest eVTOL aircraft to complete transition, which is critical to being able to carry commercially viable passenger payloads.”

Midnight is the second Archer eVTOL aircraft to complete transition flight. The company’s first generation full-scale eVTOL aircraft, Maker, successfully achieved the milestone in November 2022, eleven months after its first flight.

Midnight’s road to transition highlights Archer’s progress, as it achieved the milestone just seven months after its first flight. “We’ve been extremely happy with how Midnight has performed throughout its flight test program,” Muniz said. “As you can see from the transition flight video, it was a very smooth and strong flight.”

Midnight took off vertically during the flight before transitioning from thrust-borne to wing-borne flight. To do so, the aircraft’s rotors tilted slightly to move into that wing configuration. The aircraft then cruised on its wings before returning for a vertical landing.

This is a tricky maneuver that relies on robust design. If there were any problems, the aircraft could stall during that transition, which is why the test flights are such an important milestone. It proved that Midnight could perform the most challenging phase of an eVTOL aircraft’s flight.

Looking toward piloted flight tests

Now that Midnight has achieved transition flight, Archer is set on commercializing its technology. Its ultimate goal is to replace 60–90-minute commutes by car with estimated 10–20-minute emission-free air taxi flights.

On its website , the company advertises Midnight as being “1,000 times quieter than a helicopter”. It also claims the eVTOL aircraft will have a range of 100 miles and a payload capacity of 1,000 lbs.

While Volocopter hopes to fly the first paying passengers on an eVTOL aircraft this summer, other companies are close behind. Archer has previously stated that it aims to carry passengers by next year, and Muniz confirmed that it is still on track to launch its services in 2025.

Before it can do that, Archer will have to go through a piloted flight test program. “The next major milestone for the Midnight program will be to begin piloted flight testing which is on track to happen later this year,” Muniz explained.

“In the meantime, Midnight’s flight test program will now continue its progress with plans to fly simulated commercial routes to demonstrate the aircraft’s operational readiness, executing high-rate flight operations, testing additional flight maneuvers that will be used in commercial settings along with continuing to expand its speed and endurance flight envelope,” he continued.

Air taxi firms are officially becoming airlines

Another hurdle to commercialization is obtaining Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification for Midnight.

The company recently announced that the agency had granted it Part 135 and Part 145 certification. These are important for its commercialization plan, as they allow the company to fulfill obligations to partners, including United Airlines.

Last year, Archer and United Airlines announced plans to open their first commercial electric air taxi route in Chicago. The route will fly from O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Vertiport Chicago.

“Receiving the Part 135 certification means Archer Air is now officially an airline,” Muniz explained.

“The Part 135 certificate will allow Archer to begin operating electric air taxi’s for our airline partners like United Airlines after Archer’s Midnight aircraft has received Type Certification from the FAA,” he continued. “This is a critical steppingstone for Archer on the way to commencing commercial air taxi operations with Midnight as you cannot operate a commercial airline without the Part 135 certificate.”

Part 145 certification, meanwhile, “authorized the company to perform specialized aircraft repair services while maintaining the highest levels of safety and compliance, a key requirement for operating a commercial aviation business,” Muniz said, adding that “Archer is one of two air taxi manufacturers in the world to have to have its final airworthiness criteria for an eVTOL aircraft issued by the FAA.”

As Archer points out in its statement, the company is also one of two firms in the world to have been granted the FAA’s final airworthiness criteria for an eVTOL aircraft.

Will 2024 be the year of flying taxis?

2024 could be the year that kickstarts the eVTOL flying taxi revolution. However, there is still some way to go before flying taxi firms are fully operational.

The Paris Olympics could be a massive moment for the flying taxi industry, but other firms will take longer than Volocopter. Joby Aviation, for example, recently announced it is considering a soft launch for next year, during which it will fly passengers on air tours and market survey flights.

According to an Aviation Week report , this would allow it to claim the start of commercial operations in 2025, as promised to its investors.

Longstanding concerns have also been raised over the massive infrastructure required for eVTOL air taxis and whether their construction will delay commercial operations. Range and battery life could also be issues—a recent study by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory highlights that eVTOL batteries have “very different requirements and capabilities” compared to any other type of aircraft.

Archer will have to take things one step at a time, aiming to start operations by 2025. However, the company emphasizes that transition is a very important milestone on the road to commercial eVTOL operations.

“Successfully completing the transition from hover to wing-borne flight with a full-scale eVTOL aircraft is a tremendous engineering feat that only a handful of companies in the world have achieved,” Muniz told IE. “It is such a challenging maneuver because the configuration of the aircraft changes so much during flight going from hover mode to cruise mode with the front and aft propellers.”