Archer Aviation has successfully conducted the first-ever transition flight with its Maker eVTOL air taxi prototype, the California-based company announced on December 1. In a November 29 test, it achieved a full transition from vertical to horizontal, wing-borne cruise flight.
This transition flight marks a significant milestone in the development of Archer’s air taxi. Like other fixed-wing eVTOLs currently under development, Archer’s aircraft takes off and lands vertically but uses its the wing for lift during cruise flight.
When flying at slow speeds, the aircraft’s 12 propellers provide most or all of the lift. The transition flight occurs when the aircraft speeds up, transitioning from hover to full wingborne flight. According to Archer, this first successful transition flight validates the aircraft’s design.
“This significant achievement is a testament to the countless hours of design, simulation and wind tunnel testing that our team has conducted behind-the-scenes,” said Archer’s chief engineer Geoff Bower. “Transition is an important milestone for any vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, as it demonstrates in a single flight the capability to both takeoff and land vertically and cruise efficiently in wingborne flight,” Bower explained in a company blog post.
Archer said the Maker prototype completed its first transition flight on November 29 at the company’s test flight facility not far from its new San Jose headquarters. During the flight, the Maker aircraft reached a calibrated airspeed of 91 knots (105 mph) after taking off vertically and climbing to an altitude of about 240 feet. The entire flight lasted about six minutes, with four minutes spent in the cruise phase, Bower told FutureFlight. The transition to wing-borne flight occurs when the aircraft reaches a speed of 87 knots, he added.
Archer’s Maker aircraft is a two-seat prototype of its production aircraft, called Midnight, which the company unveiled for the first time just last month. The Midnight aircraft, which seats four passengers and one pilot, sports the same “12-tilt-six” propeller configuration as Maker. This configuration features six stationary lifting propellers mounted on the back of the wing, while the six propellers on the front of the wing can tilt to provide vertical lift or forward propulsion.
This week’s successful transition flight came nearly one year after the Maker aircraft kicked off its flight testing campaign with its first-ever hover flight test. Archer has been conducting extensive flight tests with its two Maker aircraft over the past 12 months. The Midnight aircraft is expected to start test flights in the first half of 2023, and shortly thereafter the Maker prototypes will be retired, leading to anticipated FAA type certification in late 2024.
In 2025 Archer plans to start using fleet of its Midnight aircraft to transport passengers on short trips between airports and city centers, with trips averaging about 20 miles long. The company has partnered with investor and launch customer United Airlines to provide air taxi services for United customers, and it recently announced its first air taxi route between Manhattan and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
This story was updated December 7 with additional details about the transition flight.
