Midnight Completes Transition Flight

TRANSITION FLIGHT | Midnight has completed transition flight at a speed of 100+ MPH - taking off vertically, accelerating until it transitions from thrust-borne to wing-borne flight, cruising on the wing and then landing again vertically. Here are the key highlights from this milestone:
✈️ 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
2️⃣ Archer has now achieved transition with two different full-scale eVTOL aircraft which is well known in the industry as a very difficult milestone few companies have reached
💨 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
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About Archer: Archer is designing and developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for use in urban air mobility networks. Archer’s mission is to unlock the skies, freeing everyone to reimagine how they move and spend time. Archer's team is based in Santa Clara, CA. (NYSE: $ACHR)

[@TheBagOfHolding]

All evtol demo videos should be like this. Takeoff to flight to landing without edits every 3 seconds or at all. Im impressed with this flight.

[@Flohpange]

But also with sound. They should release version without the annoying music.

[@franklobo2579]

Invest in Archer while it's still affordable. By 2025, it's going to skyrocket. They are targeting completion well before the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. I was here in LA during the 84 summer games and traffic was a nightmare. Most of the venues can be 50 miles away from the Coliseum or Sofi Stadium so having a air taxi is huge.i own just under 3 thousand shares and I'm aiming for 5000.

[@TheBagOfHolding]

@franklobo2579 this was empty for 10 minutes. Who knows how much battery was left after the flight or if they had extra battery that they couldn't lift with a full load of passengers and luggage. I'm extremely skeptical of evtol but good luck. Archer does seem to be the best one of the bunch.

[@WanderlustWonderscape]

@@Flohpange Perhaps include the radio transmissions on cockpit audio.

[@WanderlustWonderscape]

@@TheBagOfHolding There is a market for short trips, for example sightseeing trips in Hawaii. If the plane can charge to 80% in 20 minutes, then you could do 10-minute trips all day long.

[@dougcronkhite2113]

Congrats to Archer. Fantastic achievement!

[@maxmenius9839]

Excellent performance and stepwise progression toward full commercialization. Archer has their act together.

[@MarkThomas-yy4dk]

Amazing! I bought some Archer stock a while back. Glad to see the progress! I’m a pilot and can’t wait to fly something like this someday. 🎉

[@beforebefore]

Congrats!! What a wonderful achievement!! You all should be very proud of this work :-)

[@dertythegrower]

Game changer... so under looked...

[@w8stral]

Yea, scam of the year in aviation! Yet another useless electric flying contraption.

[@AmerBoyo]

Well done you guys! Such an amazing feat!

[@mumblbeebee6546]

Congratulations, Archers, that’s a milestone indeed, very nicely done!

[@el7179]

Outstanding gentlemen. Keep up the forward progress

[@jonathan.westerling]

I hear there are some excellent female engineers on the Archer project too.

[@Steve-tx3xc]

@@jonathan.westerling Calm down Karen the video shows all guys clapping at the end that's what he's referring to. Go get offended somewhere else.

[@JavaT6437]

@@Steve-tx3xc There is a woman in a brown jacket too

[@studio_buehler]

Very impressive! WIll definitely keep an eye out for Archer in the near future.

[@brianphillipson8841]

Great step,, looks really good, but aren't the rear lift engines supposed to shut down and stow in cruise? They appear to be powered throughout this flight. And can you report whether it was manned, pilot on board, or remotely piloted?

[@ArcherAviation]

For the first full transition flight, we chose to keep the aft propellers spinning at very low speeds (200-300 RPM) rather than initiating the “stow routine” to stop them. Envelope expansion is a step-by-step process. In future flights we will exercise this functionality. You can think of this as being analogous to how for conventional aircraft, the landing gear may not be retracted on a first flight. All of the lift was generated by the wing at the speeds we were flying (100+ mph). Midnight is uncrewed.

[@brianphillipson8841]

@@ArcherAviation Thanks for the reply, understood and appreciated. Best wishes for the ongoing envelope expansion.

[@dertythegrower]

This is huge.

[@TheBagOfHolding]

@@ArcherAviation is the battery the same size and weight as will be used when it's carrying a full payload?

[@kartikvenkatraman95]

Congratulations. Amazing

[@nunyabusiness9043NunyaBiz]

Wow, that was impressive, not just the performance and the tech that allowed it but also how well it was recorded and the quality of the video capturing this fantastic achievement.

[@socrates112]

Brilliant!!! Well done and congrats!

[@subharunnayak8541]

Great going for the future.

[@robertfraser9551]

Beautiful ! Smooth as. Top marks to all, especially the flight dynamics team. No little wiggles in pitch roll or yaw that i expected to see. And with battery energy densities increasing steadily, it can only get better and better.

[@ArcherAviation]

Thanks, Robert. We can't wait for you to fly in Midnight!

[@puckomalla]

Wow, heavy! 👏👏👏

[@bakkerem1967]

That's looking very solid and stable ! Amazing work !

[@rjung_ch]

Hey guys, that looks like a huge success, bravo! 👍💪✌

[@yumoo4439]

Looks very good! You guys are far ahead in the same field.

[@Pilot_Perspective86]

Awesome job guys!

[@arthurwagar88]

Well done. Very impressive. Great flying. Must be such a pleasure. Thanks for sharing.

[@Jobless-guy]

Noise level needs to be monitored from ground , also what’s the endurance of flight with payload onboard ?

[@john3Lee]

Congratulations team !!🎉🎊🎊

[@SAG1028]

That was a very good test.

[@someguydino6770]

Trying to out-think outfits like Bell is no small goal I get it that they are trying to add redundancy, smooth out the lift distribution and attempting to reduce current draw; however there's a LOT of additional drag associated with those 12 appendages that will definitely impact range / duration performance. Good luck

[@Peasmouldia]

Redundancy is a serious concern here. Small rotors have little inertia, and the engine out glideslope must be near vertical.

[@ralimba1778]

Good stuff!

[@jeffgerlin1836]

I'm curious if the battery pack is adjustable to compensate for various payloads. Any ability for battery expansion to extend range?

[@raoulcastaneda9749]

I'm in! Been waiting for this since Molt Taylor's heyday

[@rogergemelle213]

Wow so smooth!

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

Wonderful success, certainly appeared acceptably stable, does leave questions though - Will the rear props fold down to reduce drag? How many motors on each side are there for safety redundancy, and can be safely shut down to save power in horizontal flight? How much range does VTOL consume compared to a regular take off?

[@JoeOvercoat]

They did reply to a comment on this board that the rear propellers do fold. I do wonder if it could maintain takeoff if it lost three forward props, and how the redundancy/fault tolerance is laid out across the system.

[@LeonardZech]

So the front rotors tilt, for forward thrust. Why don't the rear rotors tilt as 'pushers' also? Or is that the eventual plan?

[@uowebfoot]

One thing I don't hear about all these types of aircraft is how loud it's going to be inside. Having flown drones I can tell you even the small ones are loud.

[@malachiteofmethuselah9713]

Bigger props have slower tip speeds and deeper tones. You'd be surprised how quiet a 13" quad can be.

[@truejim]

Every time one of these types of videos begins with an explanation of all the hard work, I’m reminded of the Monty Python Holy Grail king who kept building castles in the swamp. There are some ideas that don’t necessarily merit all that hard work.

[@mcneill64]

Congrats! Looking forward to when it can launch like it’s on a hot LZ!

[@zebediah007]

WOW! very, very impressive. Congratulations to all involved.

[@iclerkrun6602]

Really happy to see this happening. Would be more happy though if the the climbing and transitioning happen at the same time so as to save energy consumed by a vertical climb before transitioning.

[@MichaelSmith-il3wm]

Awesome video…

[@davidcummings2020]

Nice and smooth well done .

[@firefoxik75]

From efficiency point of view, that tail vertical motors with propellers are huge aerodynamic brake...

[@jeffreyjch]

It will be nicer if rear propellers are mounted under the pylon and pivot 90 degrees as they transition from liftoff to level flight as the pushing propellers.

[@JoeOvercoat]

@@jeffreyjch A comment from the provider above says there’s a stow procedure for those aft propellers but they didn’t do it on this flight. Baby steps!

[@Denpilot]

Sensacional, extraordinário, parabéns!!!! SHOW, SHOW!

[@jorgeramirez5]

Please start flights from Hollister to Fremont especially during rush hrs . I love you Archer!! I believe in you ❤🎉🎉

[@stuartpearce4773]

“IMPRESSIVE”, WELL DONE!

[@markjmaxwell9819]

This is one of the hardest parts of EVTOL design well done Archer. 😎🇦🇺👍

[@marcatteberry1361]

That was impressive.

[@WanderlustWonderscape]

Sure, it can fly... but what about the lay flat seats on board? And how good is the food?

[@rconger24]

What happens at the rear nacelles? Do those rotors continually do their gyro-copter mode?

[@BALAZSER1]

Beautiful!!! I don't regret buying this stock!!!!

[@collinmayrand1]

During the flight, the rear propellers turn, is this for any purpose or just the effect of the air? If it's the reaction to the air, is it possible to scavenge the energy?

[@leeross7896]

lot of pitch changes during the transition, and If i am shooting for 100 mph give me a piper cub any day.

[@RandyZimmerman-pp5wj]

That was freaking awesome like to see you make a cargo version

[@silversurfer100]

Great flight and quite an accomplishment but questions arise related to power consumption, maximum flight time,battery weight, and remaining useful load to function as passenger loading. The concept of transitioning from vertical flight to horizontal is relatively simple in concept, as multirotor aircraft have been doing so for quite some time using differential propeller speeds and tilt of the air vehicle to direct thrust. The issue is power cumsumption relative to power available, duration of power supply, and remaining useful load. How those interact will determine commercial viability.

[@w8stral]

Utterly useless flying object award goes to: Archer, this years white elephant pile of garbage with zero applicable function! How Genius's scam investors money! Bravo!

[@rconger24]

So what have _you_ been doing this year, ​@@w8stral ?

[@w8stral]

@@rconger24 Designing wind turbines... You?

[@sam19698487]

Nice. Question... Are the second set of propellers in the back always ON during light to assist with lift (to aid wings)?

[@ArcherAviation]

For the first full transition flight, we chose to keep the aft propellers spinning at very low speeds (200-300 RPM) rather than initiating the “stow routine” to stop them. Envelope expansion is a step-by-step process. In future flights we will exercise this functionality. You can think of this as being analogous to how for conventional aircraft, the landing gear may not be retracted on a first flight. All of the lift was generated by the wing at the speeds we were flying (100+ mph).

[@101robjones]

How is controllability achieved when landing on a gusty day?

[@rangefreewords]

what's the plate weight payload? 20 45lb plates?

[@DavidWade66]

Does anyone have the ADSB or Flight aware code?

[@bigmike1ak]

OK. Please explain. When hovering, how did it change direction 180 degrees. What physically changed the aircraft’s direction? It is not clear to me how your aircraft achieved that.

[@Peasmouldia]

I suspect control of the torque reaction. Just my best guess.

[@kiranvinjamuri]

Great stability!

[@thecaribbean8615]

I love new technology as much as the next. But, tell me that mass production efficiencies are designed into the aircraft as well as being designed to minimize maintenance. The cost of maintenance of a tilt rotor to keep it flying safe is normally phenomenal!!! I also hope the electronics / computing systems are designed to be able to fail from single event anomalies that affect multiple bytes in a stacked DRAM modules without impacting aircraft performance.

[@SomerUndomGuy]

Great Achievement! You are the future of electronic aviation. (I need to buy more stocks 😏)

[@neilmchardy9061]

Do the rear windmilling rotors provide de any lift like an auto gyro in level flight?

[@LoudRC]

Nope, just drag

[@larry9699]

What was the vert

[@jimhofoss9982]

looks stable throughout transition…👍

[@DavejrJr-pf2dd]

what is the projected cost per person?

[@martyschrader]

How long before piloted flight trials?

[@ferdbirdthenerd]

downloading the app now!

[@redfox4098]

Wow !!!

[@aspicful]

Very stable flight. I wonder if it can be put to practical use yet.

[@619sdbdub]

That was really awesome to watch - the only transition was main propulsion! I wonder how much drag the aft propellers cause?

[@user-kk7kw8xc4q]

Have you changed rear lift props from two bladed to four bladed for this test?

[@ArcherAviation]

We are testing several different propeller configurations throughout the course of our flight test program to maximize performance, while minimizing noise. We will continue to do this to gather flight data from as many different maneuvers, environments and configurations of the aircraft as possible to see what additional learnings we can ascertain to bring the safest, quietest, most efficient aircraft possible to market.

[@LostAnFound]

As soon as transition is achieved, half of those heavy and expensive rotors become drag inducing extra weight. While mostly considered parasitic drag, in forward flight they induce intersection drag, form drag, skin friction drag, and of course, parasitic drag. You gotta get rid of them

[@bryanlallen]

Would be very cool to display battery SOC and system power draw as well as speed; could get much more insight on efficiency of forward flight that way. One question: why do the horizontal lift props continue to turn in this flight? Seems like that would be an undesirable power draw, and increased drag.

[@ArcherAviation]

For the first full transition flight, we chose to keep the aft propellers spinning at very low speeds (200-300 RPM) rather than initiating the “stow routine” to stop them. Envelope expansion is a step-by-step process. In future flights we will exercise this functionality. You can think of this as being analogous to how for conventional aircraft, the landing gear may not be retracted on a first flight. All of the lift was generated by the wing at the speeds we were flying (100+ mph).

[@x-gamessimulator1067]

Yes, there could be flight monitoring in the video. Consumption, battery level, internal battery resistance, engine RPM.

[@clarencegreen3071]

As always, the major hurdle is the endurance of the battery. Will there be a corded model?

[@thebrowns5337]

lol

[@Is_this_handle_available]

Test pilot did a great job, wow, just wow

[@ewwatt]

I just read the post about it on electrek and seeing a modest report about the status is a refreshing alternation to the marketing bla bla of the competition. The rotors in the rear - are they actively driven for take of but act autogiro during flight to minimize wingspan?

[@x-gamessimulator1067]

I thing this

[@danielschroeder3709]

Was this flight 100% autonomous?

[@fightzero01]

Not trying to troll but what is the advantage here vs. a helicopter?

[@spaceshipearth999]

Efficiency and speed

[@Nix_IoI]

A heliplane

[@theresawhite7981]

Probably has a better glide ratio than a broke chopper .

[@bobkennelly8000]

What i like about Archer versus Joby is it looks like the Archer aircraft could land like a regular airplane if there were engine problems, ie glide back down, but why don't the rear props angle down like the front props angle forward in the back and become pusher props instead of continuing their helicopter vertical position?

[@spaceshipearth999]

That's the proper design .

[@nagaster]

So the wing alone cannot support the weight of the aircraft in forward flight ? Over-loaded with batteries to make sure the demo flight isn't embarrassingly terminated ?

[@TheBagOfHolding]

That's a good demonstration. Why didn't the reear rotors stop spinning like in all the animations? How much of the total battery did this empty flight consume and is the batter the same size and weight as will be used when it has a full payload?

[@MrJesse1479]

Awesome. Keep buying ACHR and JOBY.

[@luckydelauta3859]

I have similar concerns as other commenters regarding power consumption and viable flight time versus payload and passenger weight constraints, especially considerint the fact that the aircraft seems to require 12 motors to accomplish its mission.

[@s1nb4d59]

Something just dosnt seem right with all the rear propellers creating a drag on the wing when the forward motors are operating,i would have thought the setup would have been more like the Boeing V-22 Osprey.

[@scottgreenler4047]

Wouldn't want to be in that when it falls from the sky a parachute emergency system for the whole craft id advised ...it's pretty!

[@adamchurvis1]

What is the Flight Envelope for this vehicle, since it can't auto-rotate?

[@AnthonyHigham6414001080]

You've seen a brick fly?

[@adamchurvis1]

@@AnthonyHigham6414001080 That's what I was thinking, but I would still like to hear what the manufacturer says (or at least watch the little dance he does instead).

[@tonylam9548]

Fine, you have all the control and flight issues worked out, but how much payload it is capable of and range , I noticed the speed barely over 100 MPH.

[@SuperOpinion8ed]

As an investor, I’m sold on the idea. The tech is easy. And by easy I mean given enough time and money the problems can all be solved. Hell, we put a man on the moon in the 60s! So my question or concern is the business. You’ll get the equipment and tech solved. Now this will compete with helicopters and taxis. Will the pricing be comparable? Where’s the cost analysis for operations? Chinese companies are trying this with pilotless versions. Will paying a pilot (cost plus loss of one pac seat) still be affordable? Other operational costs? Battery swaps versus refueling vs rapid charging? Cargo limits? Range limits? Maintenance costs (compared to alternatives)? Etc. I’ve got a lot riding on this success. Feel like I’m early on this. Hope it blows up! Okay. Bad choice of words. Gets YUGE!

[@ianharper6015]

Very inpressive.

[@larry9699]

Super cool. Are you looking for salespeople?

[@nickshelley3118]

If you can stop it in mid air, wonder if you could have parachutes on it in case of emergency, just rapidly reduce speed and then kill the engines, deploy chutes.

[@Fadamor]

They may already be doing this, but I think the batteries could be extended by having the free-wheeling rear rotors during wing-based lift feeding electricity back into the batteries. That way, the longer the distance you fly, the better performance you get out of the batteries - up to a point. There's no such thing as 100% recovery of power.

[@vitaliikuzdrovsky1976]

It’s time to buy a shares

[@user-dn4tn9ui7w]

I am Japanese. I have already bought at $6.7 per share. Today's stock price is $3.40 per share. If this test flight hadn't gone well, I was planning to withdraw from Archer. But I'm happy with today's success. I'm sure the stock price will go up.

[@UncleKennysPlace]

The rear rotors would seem to add significant drag in airplane configuration.

[@charlesprice3110]

Rear props lock into fore/aft position, not shown in this flight.

[@VictoryAviation]

I completely understand that this is a test phase in the video. What is the standard projected time for the transition once everything is completely up to speed? This is such a magnificent aircraft. And a quick reminder that I want to be one of your pilots 😅 (commercial fixed and rotary, getting ready to hit 1,700 hrs)

[@ArcherAviation]

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 (like more efficient climb outs as you mentioned vs. hovering up and then moving into forward flight) along with continuing to expand its speed and endurance flight envelope.

[@glenhoward7858]

would be nice to see the altitude of the craft during these vidoes. also are the 6 motors on the aft side continually giving lift during the whole flight? what a beautiful craft! thanks for sharing.

[@ArcherAviation]

Great question, Glen. All of the lift was generated by the wing at the speeds we were flying (100+ mph). For the first full transition flight, we chose to keep the aft propellers spinning at very low speeds (200-300 RPM) rather than initiating the “stow routine” to stop them. Envelope expansion is a step-by-step process. In future flights we will exercise this functionality. You can think of this as being analogous to how for conventional aircraft, the landing gear may not be retracted on a first flight. Good note on altitude. We'll keep that in mind for future flight test videos we share.

[@RALPHSMITS-wl1oq]

Shouldn't the aft propellers be static and aligned with the airflow in a full transition? Also, is it just me who thinks it's odd that the aircraft is only shown from the front when it is stationary? Can you show us a clear view of what the aircraft looks like in full so we can see the aft propellers? I know you have released pictures from quite some time ago but I have not seen a single glimps of the aft in recent weeks. Every video either cuts to a new shot as soon as the aft propellers will come into view or it simply places the camera in a way where the aft is not visible. Seems fishy....

[@homegsec]

Test with or without pilot ?

[@ArcherAviation]

The Midnight aircraft you see in this video is uncrewed. Our first piloted Midnight aircraft is in final assembly and set to begin flying later this year.

[@profiskipinternational4402]

Awesome ... I suppose it had been very moderate weather conditions. Anyhow, the nervous wiggling of smaller helicopters during start / landing I have not seen. It flies pretty stable and screws through the air very smoothly. Beautiful. - I suppose 12 rotors can build a bigger uplift force area than one big rotor. Congrats to the whole team, test pilot. Such projects are nerve wrecking, over years to get all jobs done well. Will Midnight be 100% EV or kind hybrid version ? As we see now a move back in automotive industries that companies like Toyota go the hybrid path, and many of the concurrence follow. Even buyers in 2024 have decided increasingly for hybrid than pure EV. Are you using Solid State batteries (e.g. Salt batteries) ? Much cheaper, bigger charing cycle rate and much faster than LitiumFerroIion batteries. - All the best for the future.

[@x-gamessimulator1067]

I know it's a flight test, but over time wouldn't it be better to reduce the number of electric motors due to energy consumption? Please post more test videos with telemetry.🥺.