Archer Takes to the Skies with First Hover Flight of Maker Aircraft
20 Dezember 2021 - 3:00PM
Business Wire
Six months after unveiling its Maker eVTOL
aircraft, Archer has achieved both FAA airworthiness certification
and its first successful hover flight
- The successful hover flight saw Maker accelerating off the
ground and hovering in place before returning to the ground
safely
- Maker aircraft is an autonomous two-seater eVTOL aircraft that
has been certified for flight testing by the FAA
- In the coming months, Archer’s flight test campaign will
broaden to include hover envelope expansion, followed by transition
envelope expansion
Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE: ACHR) today announced that Maker,
Archer’s eVTOL demonstrator aircraft, completed its first
successful hover flight. The flight marks the completion of the
company’s first full and complete systems test and validation of
every hardware and software component working as intended to move
the aircraft into the air. The flight test was completed at 10:30
am PT on 16 December and also resulted in the successful checkout
of the company’s flight control system in flight and the end-to-end
close of flight software. Now that flight has been achieved, Archer
will move forward with an ongoing extensive flight test campaign
into 2022 and beyond.
In November, Archer’s dedicated flight test team, consisting of
experts in flight test, battery, propulsion, flight controls,
software and avionics, moved from the company’s headquarters in
Palo Alto to a new flight test facility to prepare for this
important milestone. Over the past two months, the team has been
laser-focused on Maker’s integration and ground testing in order to
prepare Maker for a successful first hover flight, as well as
ensuring it meets the FAA's standards for airworthiness
certification. After being fully integrated, Maker moved into its
ground testing phase, which included verification of the control
and propulsion systems, along with driving the motors at full
power, and then putting those motors through stress testing to
ensure all systems were operational and ready to withstand flight
testing. After completing an untethered test, during which the
Archer team verified that the entire propulsion and flight control
system was functioning correctly, Archer’s flight test team
approved the aircraft for its first flight.
The moment was particularly significant in aviation history as
this week marks the 118th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first
flight at Kitty Hawk, NC in 1903 - the moment where humanity
officially took to the skies for the very first time. Eric Wright,
a descendant of Orville and Wilbur, and Archer’s own head of
certification, placed a historic piece of the Wright Flyer in Maker
for its inaugural flight to mark the full circle moment.
"The past six months has been an incredible journey, from
unveiling Maker to watching it take its first flight," said Brett
Adcock, Archer co-founder and co-CEO. "It's been humbling to build
a leading eVTOL company and educate the public on clean
transportation alternatives. Today is a milestone for both Archer
and the future of travel. I'm extremely proud of this exceptional
team."
“Everything we’ve accomplished this year, every milestone hit
and partnership struck, was all with one goal in mind: developing
both an aircraft and a UAM ecosystem that could scale and change
the face of intra-city travel,” shared Adam Goldstein, Archer
co-founder and co-CEO. “With our first hover flight now completed,
we’re one major step closer to that goal and have proven that
Archer can work at a fast pace without sacrificing safety or
quality. Our team stands ready to continue that pace as we work
toward launching an aerial ridesharing service in late 2024.”
As Archer flies into the new year, this testing campaign will
broaden to include hover envelope expansion, advancing Maker’s
design capabilities and reaching higher altitudes. Following the
hover expansion, the team will begin the transition envelope
expansion ensuring Maker is able to move from hover to forward
flight. While expanding Maker's test flights, Archer also plans to
unveil its piloted, four-seat production-intent aircraft in
2023.
“As an early investor in Archer, it’s been rewarding to watch
Archer grow as a company and really help shape the industry. What
began as a mission-driven company to change how we think of daily
transportation, has today proven that passion and mission can yield
incredible results,” added Marc Lore, renowned entrepreneur and
first investor in Archer. “I congratulate the whole team on today’s
first hover flight accomplishment and look forward to seeing the
way Archer’s unique mode of transportation shapes our cities of
tomorrow.”
For continued updates visit www.archer.com and follow along on
social media.
About Archer
Archer’s mission is to advance the benefits of sustainable air
mobility. Archer’s goal is to move people throughout the world's
cities in a quick, safe, sustainable, and cost-effective manner.
Archer is designing and developing electric vertical takeoff and
landing aircraft for use in urban air mobility networks. Archer's
team is based in Palo Alto, CA. To learn more, visit
www.archer.com.
Source: Archer Text: ArcherIR
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For Media Louise Bristow Archer louise.bristow@archer.com
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