Tuesday, August 4, 2026

Archer's Midnight completes piloted city-to-city test flight

Archer Aviation

Archer Aviation said its Midnight aircraft completed a piloted round trip between Salinas Municipal Airport and Monterey Regional Airport on July 30, with each roughly 9-minute leg using conventional runway takeoffs and landings rather than a full vertical-to-forward-flight transition. The flight demonstrated Midnight's regional range and speed ahead of planned eVTOL Integration Pilot Program operations, though a publicly demonstrated piloted transition flight - the milestone Archer still needs for FAA certification - had not occurred as of the flight.