Archer’s Air Taxi Prototype Returns to the Air

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi developer Archer Aviation announced Tuesday it is expanding its flight testing program—using for the first time a tilt propeller system during hover.

Thom Patterson

Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at 03:29 PM ET

Verified

Archer Aviation announced Tuesday a new flight test campaign of its Maker air taxi demonstrator. [Courtesy: Archer Aviation]

Key Takeaways:

Archer Aviation has expanded its flight testing program for the Maker eVTOL prototype, successfully using a tilt propeller system for active control during hover for the first time.
The Maker aircraft is now configured for transition flight, keeping Archer on track to test full vertical-to-horizontal flight by the end of 2022.
This progress is a critical step towards achieving FAA certification and launching an aerial ridesharing service by late 2024.

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Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi developer Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) announced Tuesday it is expanding its flight testing program—using a tilt propeller system for the first time during hover.

Six months after the first flight of its Maker prototype at Archer’s California test facility, chief engineer Geoff Bower revealed the aircraft resumed flights last week, when engineers “saw the first use of the tilt propeller system (TPS) for active control during hover and the system performed as expected.”