Archer Showcases Piloted Midnight Flight As It Advances To Next Phase Of Flight Test Program
- Last week, Archer showcased Midnight's piloted flight operations as the company continues to advance its certification and commercialization efforts in the U.S. and in the UAE. Click here to view a video of the piloted flight.
- This phase of Archer's flight test program builds on years of safe, autonomous flight testing across its various aircraft platforms
- In this phase of its program, Archer is testing the piloted conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) capabilities of its Midnight aircraft. CTOL aircraft operations demand greater robustness in the design of the landing gear and related components
- Archer, government regulators and its customers, both civil and defense, have identified the importance of being able to conduct both vertical and conventional take-off and landing as part of normal operations of the aircraft as CTOL brings operational flexibility and along with it enhanced safety
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Archer's Chief Test Pilot, Jeff Greenwood, who was in the cockpit at the controls of this piloted flight and previously served as a test pilot for Bell Textron and a pilot in the United States Marine Corps, remarked on the ease of handling of the Midnight aircraft
Today, Archer (NYSE:ACHR) announced it has begun the next phase of Midnight's flight test program showcasing piloted flight. This phase builds on years of safe, autonomous flight testing across its various aircraft platforms, which validated its proprietary 12 tilt-6 VTOL configuration. Midnight cruised at speeds up to 125 mph and reached a maximum altitude of over 1,500 feet above ground level during the flight.
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Recent flight of Archer's Midnight aircraft showcasing piloted operations
The flight featured a conventional take-off and landing demonstrating the robustness of Midnight's landing gear that is capable of performing both vertical and conventional take-off and landing operations. Through its design and certification process, Archer, government regulators and its customers, both civil and defense, have identified the importance of being able to conduct both vertical and conventional take-off and landing as part of normal operations of the aircraft as CTOL provides operational flexibility and enhanced safety.
During this phase of Midnight's flight test program, Archer's test pilots will continue to test key elements of the aircraft, such as flight control responsiveness, stability and aerodynamic and control model validation in addition to gathering data to support its certification and commercialization efforts in both the U.S. and UAE.
"Put simply, the performance of Midnight continues to demonstrate the strengths of our design decisions for this aircraft platform," said Adam Goldstein, CEO and founder of 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."
The piloted flight was flown by Archer Chief Test Pilot Jeff Greenwood who joined the company in 2021, providing invaluable insight while focusing on cockpit design, including vendor selection for the display and other equipment. Before joining Archer, Greenwood served as a test pilot for Bell Textron, where he helped develop, test, and certify leading industry rotorcraft. A veteran, Greenwood served as a pilot in the United States Marine Corps for 13 years. During his tenure, he developed his passion for test piloting and was a graduate of the United States Naval Test Pilot School.
"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," said Jeff Greenwood, Chief Test Pilot at Archer. "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."
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Archer is designing and developing the key enabling technologies and aircraft necessary to power the future of aviation. To learn more, visit www.archer.com.
Archer Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward looking statements regarding Archer's business plans and expectations, including statements regarding Archer's aircraft performance, and the pace at which Archer intends to develop, certify, manufacture and commercialize its aircraft. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual results due to a variety of factors. The risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted are more fully detailed in Archer's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is or will be available at www.sec.gov. In addition, please note that any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that Archer believes to be reasonable as of the date of this press release. Archer undertakes no obligation to update these statements as a result of new information or future events.
Source: Archer Aviation
Text: ArcherIR
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