Archer begins piloted operations of its flagship Midnight electric aircraft [Video]

All-electric aircraft developer Archer has entered a key development phase ahead of full-fledged flight certification and commercial operations. Last week, Archer completed a piloted flight in its flagship Midnight aircraft, demonstrating a conventional takeoff and landing instead of vertical (it can do both). Check out the entire flight video below; it’s very cool.

Archer ($ACHR) is easily one of the more prominent electric aviation developers we cover here at Electrek. I’ve personally been covering the California-based aviation company for years, including a recent update last month that Archer had become the exclusive air taxi provider to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

For the past year or so, much of Archer’s company news has revolved around new partnerships and plans to implement all-electric air taxi networks worldwide using its flagship Midnight aircraft. Unfortunately, most of that coverage has not included any test flights—at least not since the Midnight took its first flight back in October 2023.

Today, however, Archer announced a transition into its next development phase by showcasing footage of a piloted flight in its Midnight aircraft that took place last week.

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Archer completes piloted flight in Midnight aircraft

Per Archer, it took years of safe, autonomous flight testing data to build to the company’s piloted flight seen in the video below, which was operated by the company’s chief test pilot, Jeff Greenwood. While many of the autonomous flights have helped validate the Midnight aircraft’s vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities, Archer’s pilot test flight tested its conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) capabilities.

Archer stated that through its work with government regulators and civil and defense customers, it has identified the need for both VTOL and CTOL capabilities to provide “operational flexibility and enhanced safety.”

Greenwood’s flight, which took place last week above Salinas, California, achieved a top speed of 125 mph and a maximum altitude of 1,500 feet above ground level while testing the Archer aircraft’s landing gear during takeoff and landing. This was the chief test pilot’s (who joined Archer in 2021) first time taking to the skies in the Midnight aircraft and shared this thoughts after:

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. That level of consistency is no surprise. It’s a testament to the engineering and operational excellence of our team, whose attention to detail and dedication to safety made this milestone possible.

Archer said that now that the Midnight aircraft has entered the piloted testing phase, Greenwood and his team of test pilots will continue to test key elements such as flight control responsiveness, stability, aerodynamics, and control model validation. All test data will be compiled and analyzed to support Archer’s certification and commercialization from regulators in the US and the United Arab Emirates.

As promised, you can watch Archer’s full piloted flight video of the Midnight aircraft below.