A Pilot’s Thoughts on Archer's MAKER eVTOL Aircraft

Huge thanks to Archer for hosting me and for sponsoring this video! This is genuinely game changing stuff that they are doing and I'm stoked to be bringing you guys behind the scenes as this feels like a historic moment for aviation.
Go watch their unveiling event here: bit.ly/TPxArche...
Check out Archer and learn more: bit.ly/TPxArcher
For more shenanigans like this come be my wing man and join in the adventure: goo.gl/sW5J5o
For more of my adventures follow me on instagram: / trentonpalmer
Facebook: / pilottrentpa. .
#Archer #EVTOL #ElectricAviation

[@FlightChops]

It's amazing and a little scary to see where this is going. I mean - we pilots all know on some level that it's gonna get here sooner or later.

[@tamtam19454]

It's only going to go where the demand is. And I demand more flying things!!

[@TrentonPalmer]

It’s definitely going to be fun to watch unfold!

[@Aeroworks540]

I just want one I can buy!

[@SmittySmithsonite]

@@Aeroworks540 - Better have deep pockets. I'd wager if this exact type were to come out, it would be well into the millions. Under 10 million, so that's a plus, lol.

[@lonnieholcomb2078]

I doubt it gets out of the incubation stage, my gut feel for this is, the tech in the batteries won't support the eventual reality. Lithium batteries have known limitations in life cycles, so I am skeptical this will go past initial investigation. Again I believe, a hybrid that would offer a reduced carbon foot print with a practical range of 250 to 400 miles ,, that I would buy into in a heartbeat.

[@Levi_Allen]

There’s clearly incredible amounts of funding involved. I hope they go the distance! I still would be so curious on the decided battery chemistry. Great video Trent. It will be interesting to see how the market responds to different use cases of aircraft like this. Where I live the coastal islands for easy quick island hopping without not needing to land a float plane or a air strip. Or the wealthy city folk who have homes in the mountains and commute 30-50miles to the city

[@TheCamaro5]

I read united airlines just invested millions or billions with archer

[@kalemdinkel7045]

@@TheCamaro5 they placed an order for like 200 of them

[@nmnmnm35]

@@kalemdinkel7045 they really didn't, they just agreed to it for marketing. That project isn't happening

[@MrAwabi]

Gonna be interesting who of the player will evolve. Archer, Joby Aviation, Lilium, ehang, Volocopter, exiting time's.

[@TheCamaro5]

@@kalemdinkel7045 at 60 mile range some maybe no pilot i dont see people paying extra to shuttle that close range with only two seats. Maybe it will evolve more

[@randydunning7584]

Great to see someone “thoughtfully” developing this technology! Not cheap to develop but get it right and it’s a game changer!

[@ArcherAviation]

Thanks again for coming on this journey with us, Trent. Many more adventures to be had together with you and your community. Let’s go! ✈️🔋

[@krotchlickmeugh627]

😆 good luck with bankruptcy

[@theabelfamily]

This is amazing and exciting! Very cool you got to be part of the unveiling! Nice backlighting in your vid.

[@jannepeltonen2036]

That was *really* interesting! As a member of a club that owns and operates a Pipistrel Alpha Electro - and as someone who finally got his pilot's license when it started to seem that electric airplanes might become viable within the foreseeable future - this content is exactly what I like :)

[@virginiahansen320]

I think it's really smart for them to be targeting the short-range commuting niche. Only super-expensive helicopter air-taxi services are in that niche. There are also physical limits to what chemical batteries will ever be able to do, they'll never be able to compete with ICE-powered aircraft in long-range uses, so this is an almost empty market segment that fits electric technology perfectly.

[@paulo7200]

This POS will cost FAR more than a Bell 505 turbine heli.

[@electricaviationchannelvid7863]

There are new use cases made possible by the eVTOL aircraft...look at Blackfly and Beta Technologies...

[@johnreed8872]

Hey Trent ! Great content ! I look back at all of the huge advances that have been made in just my 62 yrs and now with Artificial intelligence and CNC etc. The next 20 plus years will be mind blowing! Maybe I'll be lucky enough to witness some of it! Thanks for the video and Blue Skies!

[@krotchlickmeugh627]

Dont hold your breath

[@goriverman]

The future looks very exciting in aviation. The world is changing fast good and bad.

[@quantumss]

Problem is, more bad than good, and the masses love it. What a shame.

[@stevemyers2092]

so far so good - flying since the 80's - commercially rated bush pilot background in BC Canada, now PPL. I like where this is going. Love to have a long range VTOL aircraft.

[@RandomActsOfMusic1]

bc rocks! Id pay fuel to ride !

[@petergriggs7646]

Well done. Some form of this is here to stay. I’m liking it.

[@luke_atthat]

Great summary of this novelty. Yes it will be a great success I am sure. And yes, your videos make me dream of adventures that I cannot afford for sure. So by sharing them you give me thrills ! Your campings, your STOL competitions, your short trips, your explanations, your family stories, all of that makes your shared videos extremely entertaining and enjoyable! Thank you again!

[@TurbineFlyer]

Just passed my checkride today in 14W Trent! Aviation is so much fun! Thanks for being a good representative of it

[@davidlynn8499]

I got my PPL in that beauty back when Nikk owned it. Congrats!

[@Otrwego]

One of my favorite vids I’ve seen on your channel! The quality from film, interview q & a, product itself, all very well done! T.hank you!

[@GlenAndFriendsCooking]

Technologies leap forward, and it's great to see that aviation moving forward can take advantage of this. Meanwhile those of us with legacy certified aircraft are limited to flying behind engines designed 70+ years ago... On another note that paint job is fantastic! I wonder what that would look like on a 172?

[@nzsaltflatsracer8054]

Agreed. GA piston engine development stalled in a certification rut 70+ years ago while automotive engines continued to evolve. It's like driving a new Corvette with a Blue Flame 6 engine from the 53 model.

[@akschu1]

I Disagree, there is nothing new technology wise here. The batteries aren't any better nor are the motors. The only thing new is the vertical take-off and this new tolerance for very short flight times. Perhaps it will be useful to fly from house to work, but with covid, that's on the decline.

[@jasonhurdlow6607]

@@akschu1 Modern batteries and motors aren't new compared to engines from 70+ years ago? Are you kidding me? Battery tech has come a very long way in the last couple decades.

[@pa11owner]

@@jasonhurdlow6607 And electric motor design has also improved, with the switch from brushed to brushless motors. Have you seen the direct drive electric motor used on the LG washing machine and dryer? Big differences.

[@russella7263]

@@pa11owner The brushless motor is not new, it was invented in 1962 almost 59 years ago.

[@EOTG_AK]

If they build them with cloud connected flight planning and mesh networking that connects each eVTOL to every other craft in the area then it really gets very safe. Pick your destination and the entire flight is validated before it ever leaves the ground.

[@ronruethain5521]

Thanks Trent for sharing this technology. Retired from Boeing and am excited about the future. Keep it up. Thanks again.

[@hlender]

Trent you did an excellent job of putting this together and of narrating it. Keep up the great work. You've got more talent than you know.

[@davidmeek8017]

Trent; mahalo for this and all that you do to educate us. Electric airplanes are already flying; certified airplanes. Trainers mostly with limited (

[@rollingreene1220]

Trent - One of you best videos. As others are saying, your presentation of the concept is quite thoughtful - Thank you for posting

[@CDB1952]

A lot of comments here - this may well be redundant - The technology is impressive, the business case no so much. Drive times Vs. flight times of 30 to 60 minutes vs.15 to 20 minutes. Note such estimates do not not account for the ease of walking out to a car and driving directly to the destination vs traveling to from landing/takeoff locations, waiting on scheduled service, etc. So little (if any) time saved at what cost over driving? Honestly, this looks like a very good solution, still looking for a cost effective problem.

[@nothingtoseehere4026]

Weight and balance, preflight checklist and walk around. Bravo clearance and Wx. A few of the many reasons you need a human.

[@Aeroworks540]

All of those things can be done before hand. Even communicating with atc through a flightplan and tracking

[@hookahguy]

You must not have watched the video. A human will be in the next version. This is only a demonstrator for the FAA

[@HVM_fi]

Load cells to the landing gear -> Weight and balance automation. Full self diagnostics system with sensory/imaging system at ground if needed -> removes human errors possible at checklists and walk around. Fully automatic ATC and ground control -> Removes human errors in communication or handling of data. (NASA has played with those some time but not anywhere near for actual use)

[@nothingtoseehere4026]

@@hookahguy I watched it and heard that. But the automated setup is a goal in the future.

[@nothingtoseehere4026]

@@HVM_fi But NASA isn't running their projects like a taxi. It's one and done till the next time. The self diagnostics and flight plans would need to be completed in seconds. Otherwise, it wouldn't be efficient, from a time saving perspective, to travel 30 miles. At least, you don't have to check/add oil.

[@HVM_fi]

There are multiple electric VTOL aircraft prototypes, flying with pilot or passengers onboard. So Archer is bit late on that. It's only now starting to fly drone versions. Non of those are in commercial use tough, all of them have same problem, batteries energy density is not anywhere near high enough for that.

[@krotchlickmeugh627]

None of them are flyable. Lmfao this is a get rich quick scheme for someone and they have fooled alot of rich idiots. I love it

[@wpfilms2]

@@krotchlickmeugh627 except Ehang from China has flown 12000 autonomous flights. Many with people in them. Beta Technologies from Vermont have flown a few hundred with a brilliant pilot /engineer. Both don’t go chasing media attention

[@Cowracer67]

I try to be exited about these things, but it seems every other week there is some announcement of an aviation "game changer" with a sleek (non-functional) prototype and high-energy visuals, but then in 2 months the company is pretty much closed with millions in cash burned thru, and still no workable hardware. Eventually, one of these companies is gonna pull it off, but so far, the track record has me jaded.

[@hiatus8831]

Who said they don't have workable hardware? That's a functional prototype.

[@Cowracer67]

@@hiatus8831 I've not seen it fly. And even if it does, only if and until its certified and offered for public sale, its really just a big drone.

[@hiatus8831]

@Cowracer67 Understood and fair enough. Still exciting technology to see; definitely more than just a mock-up.

[@jimaperkins]

Yes. Case in point: I remember visiting the Terrafugia booth at AirVenture 2010, where they expected FAA certification for their roadable airplane in less than 2 years. And, in case you are wondering, they too had a prototype in 2010. Well, they are still getting VC funding, and 11 years later nothing is in production. Much like Archer, Terrafugia's challenge is 100% regulatory.

[@wpfilms2]

Beta Technologies and Bye Aero has been flying for sometime, not splashy PR stunts, just real hardcore engineering. Check them out, it will keep you excited. Realistic pathways too and not subject to public market pressures

[@SHAREMediaBK]

Tremendously explained about the advancement in drones in the last decade. 99% of people cannot truly appreciate the low altitude view that drones and GA offer....... There is nothing like it! I hope more get to experience it, this offers that!!!

[@mxcollin95]

A ballistic recovery chute or option to have one put on would raise my comfort level quite a bit as a pilot. The military’s Osprey tilt rotor had a fairly rough beginning with accidents during its development (granted the Osprey is quite a bit more complicated I’m sure.)

[@jimcripps3612]

That opening showed some good old American Razz a matazz . Of course the proof of the pudding is in the eating or in this case performance. We shall have to wait on this one. Regards, Jim in NI UK

[@johnleven8907]

Great vid, as always. I'm not in this bandwagon yet. Basic bush planes will do for me.

[@86309]

The F16 was considered way ahead of its time with the fly by wire FLCS. It was a pure pleasure to fly and very safe. Progress !

[@68spc]

Hope this is at EAA Airventure this year..... Would be great to see up close.

[@christinetoevs6641]

YES!!!

[@Heyemeyohsts]

None of these types are flying to OSH

[@gardenrailroading]

Wow, think of the emergency flights that a Maker could be used for!

[@kadmow]

Hi Trent, thanks for putting your take on this out there. Can't wait... Lets get all the new aircraft in the air and prove or fail on their merits. Anyone can tell their "wonderful tale" ahead of the facts... Lets see it walk. Great as Tech and VTOL is... If they require 30 or 45 minutes mandatory reserve - for commercial ops (even private flights are requiring mandatory reserves these days - jurisdiction dependent) and claim 150 mph cruise speed - that means the reserve range needs to be 70+ miles, a 60 mile operating range must mean that only ~40% of the battery is available for flight.... (Imagine that limitation in a multicopter - useful time for an inspire 2 would be down to ~10 minutes, even a Mavic 2 would be down to ~15 minutes - noting that the bottom "25%" of battery doesn't last as long as the top "25%" - at least not the way most battery power meters measure it) I have been interested in "convertable VTOL planes" for a long time (of many different topologies). Nice to see something which COULD be a real aircraft without the negative aerodynamic features of a multicopter - Safe Gliding is a great safety feature, noting that no MC is able to autorotate - a "whole aircraft" parachute is likely to feature in a lot more new aircraft going forward. The problem with fully electric flight, is that "batteries do not scale" and larger electric aircraft require larger / heavier batteries. We still need to see REAL commercial payload and range in battery electric aircraft. (Short hop Island flights with limited payload are all I have seen in the real world) - hybrid flight is promising for longer (real world use case of FW / hybrid powered lift / distributed lift ) durations, allowing battery powered / augmented VTOL and transition with series-hybrid en-route propulsion (distributed electric propulsion is very advantageous WRT redundancy / safety). Those of us who know aviation realise that the idea of Landing on a rooftop in a busy city or in an area the size of a carpark, while appealing, isn't practical nor legal in many areas (often not due to noise concerns but safety - VTOL AC need clear space to get in and out of the coffin zone without putting populated areas at risk). In a single or 2 seat Private plane (especially experimental) the person(s) at risk are the occupants, and they are fully aware / accepting of the risk they take - that is an arena to get battery augmented ICE propulsion sorted - call it "Super charging" a kitfox with 1000ft/min climb out would be awesome. Safe flying,...

[@johnbrez5067]

Low noise really is a game changer, esp in places like NYC where you can't even land a helicopter in the few remaining helipads on sundays due to noise complaints.

[@gro6628]

Hey Trent, if you ever get a chance, go fly by Cerritos Gordo, it’s a ghost town that a man named Brent is bringing back to life, I think it would be a cool collaboration between you and another growing KZbinr, and it would give another voice to brents cause!

[@davidm3440]

Your right Trent, its a matter of time. For what I'm about to say, someone may have already covered this below. I just don't know how practical it will be. Those that could afford this type of travel are doing it via helicopter. With this technology, cost, storage, insurance and population will be huge factors to travel this way it will still not be available for the average income family. Helicopters are not going to be replaced anytime soon especially in the proven categories of safety and cost. My gut tells me maybe another 10 years or so. Usually what happens in these scenarios the funding runs out. I hope Archer has investors with pretty deep pockets especially for the long haul. Good luck Archer!

[@oltimer5544]

When Trent was describing the mission profile, I immediately thought of helicopters... After 40 years of flying bizjets, the one aircraft system that really caused concern for me was electrical. NICAD batteries were the thing when I started flying corporate airplanes in the 70's, but with fleet experience we found out that they required a lot of maintenance and were subject to thermal run-a-ways and fire. Also, when they die, the voltage falls off a cliff. Special emergency procedures and temperature monitoring were required. In later years the aircraft I flew switched back over to lead-acids. They were just changed out on a scheduled basis, about once a year. No more deep-cycle maintenance or thermal run-a-way worries. Once everyone started bringing phones and computers onboard, we carried those fireproof remediation cases that the airlines carry. I'm sure you've all seen videos of phones/computers with li-on batteries burst into flames. Scary stuff in an airplane. I remain a sceptic about electric aircraft. When you consider the mining of the metals required for the manufacture of the batteries; the disposal of used up batteries; and the fact that the electricity might come from coal fired electric plants, I don't see the environmental advantage to electric aircraft.

[@JeffCowan]

I do believe they can "get there" on the FAA regs and certification. Their success/failure will depend on many market factors. However, the technology development will be attractive for larger players, so I can see this application folded into other efforts long term.

[@electricaviationchannelvid7863]

The large players are just sitting and holding back...Airbus did the R&D fully with the Vahana, Boeing same... but nothing since then...Bell showed a mockup...Embraer made a CIG and big promises...these companies have well established greasy contracts and do not want to disrupt it with a cheaper solution for regional/local air travel...

[@RickBrennan]

excited to see the flying performance. Cool video but frankly it’s just hype till that point. Thanks for sharing.

[@jimaperkins]

12:20 "We've got 4 flight computers on the vehicle." Okay, as a computer professional I find that cool and all, but we can't even get the FAA to approve electronic ignition for existing powerplants without a mechanical back-up. I don't think most people understand the massive regulatory hurdles ahead for Archer. In all honesty, I wish them the best of luck. Aviation needs WAY more innovation, and for that to happen companies like Archer need to successfully break down the barriers to innovation inherently built into the aviation regulatory apparatus.

[@paulo7200]

They understand the regulatory hurdles very well. The only thing this investment fraud will transport is buckets of money away from investors and into oblivion.

[@krotchlickmeugh627]

@@paulo7200 thank you!!! Every other idiot is praising this idea. They really dont see the absurdity?

[@paulo7200]

@@krotchlickmeugh627 This is the new American business model. Build a mock up of some comic book flying machine and put it on KZbin so that the barking seals can outdo each other praising the non-existent product.

[@wpfilms2]

@@paulo7200 except some very bright pilots, not seeking attention, based in Vermont ( www.beta.team/aircraft/) have built and flown (many times) a 3000MOTW, 250nm range evtol. And a while we are all fixated on our home markets, China has flown 12000 missions, Autonomous, Many with people. Laid out a regulatory framework for this year and defined 100 initial routes.

[@paulo7200]

@@wpfilms2 I see a lot of renderings and projections on that site. Can you link the cockpit video to the 250 NM flight at gross weight?

[@davidendsley2391]

Awesome presentation and I really like the idea but it does take a lot of time for certification. Take for example Epic aircraft it started with a home built and took almost 20 years to get GA production certification but is an awesome aircraft. Thanks Trent for bringing this to us, really appreciate your time to highlight other innovations in aviation

[@jimshaw899]

Baby steps... baby steps. The Wright Flyer didn't have a business model for investment, either. I'm always glad to see a completely new paradigm in any technology. This aircraft has several very new paradigms: electric propulsion, vertical takeoff and landing, quiet flight, and a short range optimization. Imagine: larger factories, offices, and residential complexes having an adjoining small port/pad. Airline travelers could hail one of these to get right next to their departure gate at a bigger airport. Sure would beat a black town car in traffic. It was unclear to me: will it tilt the motors/propellers like the Osprey to transition from vertical to horizontal flight?

[@Vicariously...I]

Seems like it would make sense to have "battery packs" that are changeable like a DJI drone. That would probably mean fewer aircraft needed and their hubs would have spare battery packs in sufficient numbers based on the need for that area. While passengers are being unloaded and loaded, the battery could be replaced by some type of device like a specialized forklift. And of course they would need to ensure they didn't run into any of the DJI "falling battery packs... and drones" problems.

[@slam854]

That is a good comparative analogy giving people a similar experience to what you have. I just got an EV & cautiously learning how long distance trips need be approached. Our infrastructure is quite there yet. I need to learn flight planning on the road. Good video.

[@charlesmanson1904]

It's fantastic to see the new technology coming through and makes the world a far more interesting place than it was 10 years ago. Autonomy is probably a slightly easier problem for planes/drones than for cars. The only problem and the same with cars is that the amount of tech for diminishing returns kicks in and a lot of the tech actually just leads to increased costs and more restrictions on use. ICE planes and cars will likely be overly restricted in the near future despite having obvious advantages in many applications (usually range, load and power to weight based).

[@wingslevel]

I see a great opportunity for electric aircraft museums.

[@sammerbammer]

Great video! Archer is the real deal!

[@sammerbammer]

@SierraLima I get the perspective, but I work in the tech industry, and this is not just tech porn. This is how you build a prototype and test for certification and eventual safe commercial use. There will be EV aircrafts in the sky, the technology already exists. As stated in the video the FAA has been very collaborative with Archer in working together to lay out a roadmap for certification. It's coming. Not tomorrow, but soon.

[@hlynnkeith9334]

Have Archer looked into marketing their aircraft in Brazil? Ground traffic in São Paulo is nightmarish, congested, and slow. To avoid the traffic, Brazilians have taken to the air. São Paulo now has more helicopter taxi traffic than any other city in the world. To me, that seems like an opportunity for Archer.

[@rynetreatch9558]

There is a lot of potential here to create a successful and sustainable air transport business. In my mind, this opens up the commute market between cities like Colorado Springs and Denver and then Bakersfield and LA or even a lot of places in the Bay Area. It would be cool to get in on the ground floor of this but, like all business ventures, capital is the first hurdle and it’s a big one.

[@john3Lee]

As an engineer, this sounds a lot safer than most GA aircraft currently flying...

[@OperatorBayArea77788]

That’s comforting hearing an engineer says that type of flight is safer than the GA aircraft out there

[@danielhostetler9493]

@SierraLima that sounds great but the data shows that there are as many GA accidents with highly skilled and experienced pilots as with new or inexperienced pilots. While training and skill building is great and helpful.... humans are imperfect and when you're talking GA it's a combination of man and machine that proficiency doesn't always solve.

[@danielhostetler9493]

@SierraLima I agree completely and you're absolutely correct. However, an autonomous AI system, won't get complacent, won't forget or get over confident and will make decisions on a far wider set of information than a human mi. A much shorter time frame allowing for faster responses. The true benefit is that unlike our human senses that can fail us,awith autonomy comes the full range of radars, and other equipment that will permit those truly human caused mistakes we see far to often.

[@Mike7478F]

@SierraLima true, look at the Baron pilot groups. GA rule followers.

[@wpfilms2]

Second that as a fellow engineer...electric motors - that one moving part thing is hard to beat with 90-95% efficiency. I love simplicity = reliability and lower operating costs

[@garyshumway9089]

At this juncture, regardless of 'sickness', it appears to be a solution looking for a problem. Do wish Archer success, technologically and marketing.

[@kalemdinkel7045]

This was one of the most in depth descriptions of the technology and challenges it’ll face. Also the first time I’ve ever seen a pilots take on the space. I can’t wait to see this beauty in the air and I’ll be flying one the first chance I get!

[@TrentonPalmer]

Thanks Kalem!

[@Justin_Reviews]

The pressure to develop these types of aircraft is enormous. They'll be here sooner than we know.

[@michaeldougfir9807]

We are in Lassen County. Soon we will be visiting Reno, Carson City and Virginia City. This could be ideal for our visit."

[@FloridaLightSport]

So nice to see the advancements in aviation. I would fly it !

[@tedsmart5539]

neat-o. we'll see if they still exist in 5 years time...

[@zorbalight3933]

Companies come and go all the time, its about the advancing the technology - the wheel started in a cave.

[@justinreich3486]

And that cave is long forgotten

[@jcbaily5559]

Fantastic......only the best to Archer....thanks!

[@lvsqcsl]

Wow! Eric Wright has this flying thing literally in his blood. I thought I was doing well flying a paramotor. Great video!

[@qristoff]

Glad you share this experience, thank you!

[@chadcoady9025]

I think the aluminum air battery is going to be a good test bed for planes and the best path for air travel. They're not rechargeable, but they have 8 times the range of lithium ion of equivalent weight plus are almost 100% recyclable. I think it makes a lot more sense for planes to swap out batteries with already pre-charged batteries. For one, they have a lot further range. The main component is aluminum, which is the most abundant metallic element on the planet, so that's a plus. A plane can come in, land, unload while a crew or automated battery swap takes place. Also, let's say an electric plane loses its engine. There could be a safety mechanism to ditch the battery (like planes do with fuel) in flight cutting the weight of the plane in half making the plane able to glide twice as far and land softer or crash safer without the worry of a catastrophic fuel explosion.

[@cloud-forge]

battery swapping would be a great alternative or combination with charging

[@electricaviationchannelvid7863]

Swapping introduces wear tear, connection failures, +labor...charging is more foolproof...

[@wi11y1960]

Batteries degrade as they are used. First flight is no problem. The headache I see is what will happen after 100 cycles of charge discharge. Then at 500 cycles? Or how many cycles until they retire the battery as will degrade Rapid recharging is more destructive to a batteries life

[@jfbaze2001]

I program a drone that flies autonomously. I also ride with friends that “drive” cars that could be autonomous. I pass people that are driving cars looking at their phones. Those are the people I want in an autonomous driving car. Also Garmin has the AutoLand system that can actually fly and land an aircraft. I am a pilot, I would rather fly the plane, but I think it would be great to have autonomous aircraft. Computers are great at analyzing data and making responses based that data. Great video, thanks for bringing this video, very cool.

[@dsrgarage]

I think it would be a great concept if they did more of the hybrid route. Electric with onboard generator. Add a little weight but have range that can be realistically useable for most.

[@_Levi393]

That’s really cool and it looks fantastic! Thanks for the content!

[@SterlingWheel]

I think the VTOL capabilities helps with the range anxiety. I mean if things get wonky it can just land. I wonder if it will try to regenerate the battery on approach?

[@krotchlickmeugh627]

Perpetual motion. Brilliant why didnt i think of that.

[@walterbenson5275]

DON’T SELL YOUR KITFOX YET !!!

[@FlyShootTravelSleepRepeat]

Trent i confident to have such opportunity would be groundbreaking and a lot of people would love to make the experiance. Aas you said it is not that easy and need a lot of passion to learn to fly by your own. Beeing a gyrocopter pilot i know what this kind of education i like, but i also know the magic to fly by yourself can give you and why the human dream to fly is so huge ! ..... love you videos man, dont ever stop doing please o;k) Rg Bend

[@repalmore]

About the only battery that will be practical to use with this will be the solid electrolyte batteries that are still about 10 years out. They just had the needed breakthrough in materials to make it but to bring it to market takes a whole lot of work to make it feasible and economic.

[@theclephane2914]

Great video, awesome review of Archer! Looks like a cool hop plane. Got me excited about electrical flight! I am a Pilot, I fly Piper Warriors and I am a commercial Drone pilot too.

[@DiamondDoorsInc]

Really interesting concept. Will be cool to see where this goes! Great video and explanation.

[@ibgarrett]

I watched this announcement live and I really felt like the entire unveiling to be very light on details and high on production. Maybe I missed it, but I was hoping for speeds, endurance, capacity, costs… all obviously targeted numbers…

[@SkylerB17]

my father is certified in every type of aircraft except the space shuttle. Even that, he could probably fly if he had to. im sure, if the Maker's successor is successful and in the air in the next couple of years, my father will have a certification as well.

[@FallLineJP]

This is so cool. If they can do backcountry landings it would open up access to outdoors spaces to alot of people.

[@zacharynorman397]

Who is funding this? Is it VC money? And if so, I’d like to know what VC firm is behind this. This has got to be incredibly expensive to run.

[@trackntrail2869]

United, Stellantis, Baron, etc.

[@hiatus8831]

Check their SPAC merger w/ ACIC (~$1.1Bil) and Pre-order from United (~$1bil).

[@saratogapilot6100]

There is also some angel money in the project.

[@krotchlickmeugh627]

@@hiatus8831 good way to get robbed by a obviously talented snake oil salesman. Im jealous. Wish i could legally rob united for billions. Whoever is responsible for this laughable pile of over priced shit. Is going to dissappear real soon

[@matt39581]

There's definitely a niche for a relatively short ranged vtol that's easier and cheaper to operate than, say, a helicopter; the LA basin comes to mind (especially how they have every other building with a heliport on the roof). The battery technology is honestly probably not there yet for anything greater than that.

[@EnterpriseXI]

You know the funny thing with these companies trying to develop an all-electric personal flying machine, they don't include footage of the aircraft actually flying, at most they'll show it hovering but that's it

[@Mister510]

That's because they're not allowed to fly them yet.

[@MrAwabi]

@@Mister510 certification rules are under way. FAA as well as EASA.

[@SheldonFSR]

Caught one of your friends flying over the Beacon Saturday around 11:45. It was obvious. Hit up Keaton Bowlby he said yea you guys are probably out here!

[@knutem2155]

I'm really curious, and I hope you can explain: Why not go HYBRID instead of this short-distance purely electric battery job? Besides using a relatively tiny engine, burning a relatively tiny amount of fuel (alcohol, LPG, whatever) to recharge the batteries surely there are a few additional ways to generate electricity to keep the batteries charged, even more than are currently used in hybrid cars. Well, I'd love to hear some thoughts on this. Keep up your very interesting vids!

[@abazdarhon]

Some one who ask question - will you be worried flight electric plane ? - have no idea about combustion engines. Wee advice to those who ask this question - take electric motor apart and take petrol engine apart then assest where is more parts which can fail not to mention that heat made by petrol engine has his devastating fraction on engine during it life. Coming to connections and battery - well you have this same in standard plane.

[@ripsaw26]

I could see Mike Patey showing up to a STOL competition with one of these.

[@robsalisbury2550]

Let’s be honest he would probably just build his own

[@wpfilms2]

He has mentioned about building an electric stol in some obscure interview I saw

[@saratogapilot6100]

The additional information from your video was helpful, but not sufficient to allow me or my venture partners to decide on investing. As a former aerospace engineer myself, the technology was mildly interesting (well, not really), but the key for economic viability is: (a) operational reliability, meaning ability to operate with high dispatch reliability in IMC (especially critical in coastal urban centers) and (b) addressable market size, pricing, and costs. The technology isn't really all that important. A helicopter service was operated between what later became LAX and Disneyland in the 1960s, but as soon as the novelty wore off, the company failed. The costs were simply too high and the number of customers willing to pay for such a charter/ air taxi service was just too restricted.

[@MrAwabi]

Have a look at the channels of Joby Aircraft, Liluim, Volocopter, ehang. Some had Investors days or starting to give more substantial information on their business models. There can be also found some recent videos on comparison of those companies. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZKUfJ19nb2tf5Y

[@datruth9872]

Well we started with the sandwitch wings, Then a single wing, one engine , then two . NOW WERE GOING ELECTRIC multiple engines/motors . We must let people reach for more and better/less expensive. I'M all for it ! Getrdone!

[@sleepydog223]

Adjusting the number and size of blades to limit the tip speed of the propellers, to keep the noise level down is sound engineering.

[@tomcoryell]

Ha!

[@glennllewellyn7369]

My family’s friend flew powered flight 6 months before the Wright bros in Pleasant Point New Zealand. The engine is still rotting away behind a shed on the farm. They hated the way he scattered the sheep as he flew by.

[@tomcoryell]

It wouldn’t surprise me. There were many inventors chasing powered flight at that time.

[@songmaster9308]

I'll check back in when they have one flying.

[@johnnyboythepilot4098]

All these eVTOL concepts are cool and all and they'd be great for non-aviators, but as someone who is an aviator and loves hand flying stick and rudder, it annoys me to no end there are not a whole lot of fixed wing electric aircraft developments. I want a hand flown GA plane but electric, not autonomous eVTOL that will take me there with a few taps of a touch screen (yes I'm aware Maker will be piloted, but the bulk of eVTOL development is autonomous air taxi). I want to FLY to my destination. I heard Mike Patey is planning on an electric bushplane for STOL drag some point after Scrappy, Draco X, and Ballistic. Hopefully that might inspire more development toward electric GA aircraft, especially bushplanes. Think about the kind of plane you could design with those super lightweight and powerful motors from Lucid.

[@Heyemeyohsts]

The 60 mile range makes this airplane one fancy piece of yard art. The elephant in the room… battery tech is not here yet. Maybe next year? Maybe 100 years

[@wpfilms2]

Beta Technologies (250nm), Lilium (120nm), Bye Aerospace (300nm), Pipistrel (150nm), Eviation (440nm), Heart Aerospace (200nm), Ehang VT30(120nm), Vertical Aerospace (100nm), Joby (100nm) Just takes a bit of research. There has been no incentive to put money to commercialise new battery tech until auto (or Tesla) came along. The past half decade - a drastic change. Europe alone committed $40B as 2020. Who knows what China has done, but they have left the entire world behind. But of course GA in a the dark ages compared to auto and I thought marine sector was bad. Even with existing battery cells, auto have found a way to make a1000 mile range car now through better aerodynamics. That it what happens when you don't engineer around a central inefficient power plant. And I understand it is not a like for like power requirements with auto, but there is such a thing a hybrid battery system with supercaps/electro chemistry which would be an elegant way to balance different power requirements, storage and faster charging. Archer have some catching up to do and even if electric aviation was a 60mile, it is a starting point and one way to reduce costs and work load for new pilots to enter GA.

[@lockedin60]

Basically a flying taxi service but huge benefits to the environment. I still see this as more of a benefit to upper middle class type of people. Not sure if it will become an affordable alternate for most people.

[@JamesAllmond]

on my side of things, motorcycles, same resistance, called fear of change, but it is coming folks to all of us motorheads...

[@SmittySmithsonite]

And I'll still be riding my 1974 Yamaha RD350 2-stroke. 😁

[@krotchlickmeugh627]

No its not. Go educate yourself on lithium and its sustainability and battery chemistry

[@concretecat]

Yo what was that screen called? I want to invest in that holy crap that thing is sick

[@lelizeua]

Awesome video Trent! Do you know which avionics it will use? I saw one display only and I'm wondering how the redundancy will work there. Thank you!

[@jmace5964]

This has the same chance of being built and used as that new boom supersonic transport

[@nmnmnm35]

@SierraLima Supersonic flight can not be a commercial reality. Go look at the NASA studies on this, in current form the ticket prices would be outrageous. Not happening

[@tomcoryell]

@@nmnmnm35 Really? People paid for Concorde.

[@torjones1701]

As a passenger, I have no problems with electric aircraft. I do agree that it's a question of "when" and not "if." I do NOT see it replacing gas powered across the board though. We already see Electric Ultralights, and that's a really good market for electric to get into, the short range, recreational pilot. I can see electric LSA craft since they aren't necessarily much more complicated than the Ultralights. I could see an electric carbon cub STOL for example. Any time you've got to refuel to complete a trip in a gas powered plane however, that's where I don't think we're going to see any significant inroads from electric any time soon. The ranges are just not there. in the E-Ultralights, you're looking at an hour of flight time, but closer to half that of pattern practice, iirc, that's about half what you get out of a gas power ultralight. The Aviation industry will mimic the Automotive industry in this respect since the technologies are very closely related. Electric cars are great for running around town, a few hours worth of errands and the weekly grocery run. For most other things, people grab the gas-powered car so they can refuel and finish the trip in a 5 minute pit stop, not 2 hours to recharge the batteries. These are legitimate use-cases, not just bah-humbug, regardless of what the eco nuts want people to believe. You're not going to see cross-country models any time soon. Go camping in the back-country? sure, as long as it's not too far from the air port. Las Vegas to Phoenix? that's going to take quite a few years yet I think, and that would wind up being an over night trip to allow the plane to recharge as well. They will have their niche that they excel well in, and outside that niche, they'll be completely impractical. Air-taxi's around a metro area, that's likely a market segment they'll do well in. A personal cross-metro transport? yup there too. Sort of like the personal helicopter of the rich and famous of yesteryear where the took off from their back yard and landed on top of the skyscraper they built.

[@TheEdwardFrye]

This is very interesting. But a couple of thoughts, first wouldn't this be like a "powered lift" aircraft, like a Harrier or Osprey? Second, I would think that an even number of systems such as the flight computer would allow for a split-brain problem where half of the systems think one thing and the other half think another thing and there is no quorum. I remember reading a story of an airliner where CA was telling the computer to do one thing, FO was telling it to do something else, and the computers split the difference and did nothing. With an odd number of systems, majority rules.

[@lsellclumanetsolarenergyll5071]

Trend, so looking at this unit I think this can be a City Emergency helicopter technology replacement. It can take off quickly on a dime and is faster than a regular helicopter for transportation. I think a single pilot and instead of a cabin type design a module based design like a container which can be hooked into the stop is much more of a solution so the archer can swap out modules for firefighter fighting a fire to drop off water for example, swap another modul under it for freight like organ transport to be fast, next for passengers like from the airport to the city for the rich like they use in New York and other big Metro's. And also as a in air refuel station would be a good solution for regular helicopters so the gas station is coming to them rather than them having to get down on the ground to refuel. And if they add like Mike Patey did a parachute to the aircraft it will have the best chance to survive.

[@jfbaze2001]

As a retired firefighter, 8.3 lbs a gallon for water 500 gallons. This thing needs a huge payload 4150#. Even at 1/2 that not going to be any good for firefighting. Planned capacity is 800-1000# (4-5 adults). City hydrants have approx 90psi, and remote fires need more water and equipment.

[@lsellclumanetsolarenergyll5071]

@@jfbaze2001 you thinking right but also wrong. Skyscraper fires are more and more common as we building more and more of them where a ladder simply won't reach. If you lift with a hose attached for example you can get up to 100' and more. And if you use fire vacuum bombs you can shoot those into the skyscraper which sux out on explosion the oxygen. You do really need to think out of the box and than you understand what is possible. And payload will be over 8000lbs when you cut out the full belly area. Maybe not at first but technology is ramping up faster than we all think is possible.

[@jimhuskyflying]

Excellent report!

[@DoggoWillink]

I’ll be honest, the first time I heard of the idea of eVTOLs it was from my brother (referencing ACIC and other SPACs), and I was very skeptical. The idea of an Osprey, but electric, and also civilian-based and thus flying around cities, seemed a bit crazy to me (and still does tbh). Nonetheless I like the idea more now, and I do own some Archer, even if just because I got it low.

[@lanwickum]

Innovation is wonderful. Thanks for making the video!

[@mikercflyer7383]

I am probably not going to be around to see it. But in the future with may be with thousands of these flying might it not be a problem with landing sites? Crowded air space?

[@jroar123]

Good review for this Maker Archer aircraft. As long as they dumb down maintenance consideration, confidence will gain traction. Still, there is nothing like Jet-A for propulsion. Nikola Tesla talked about using electric power to transport people back before 1900. His idea was to draw electricity from the air. Still, without coal, there is no electricity. So why not keep working on electricity while promoting gas engines.