Archer Aviation Inc. has announced that its Maker demonstrator has completed its first transition to full wing-borne flight. Like its Midnight eVTOL, Maker has 12 propellers attached to six booms on a fixed-wing. All 12 propellers provide vertical lift during take-off and landing. The forward six propellers tilt forward to the cruise position to provide propulsion during forward flight, with the wing providing aerodynamic lift. During this flight, Maker’s tilt propellers were locked in cruise position for the first time, and the aircraft flew at a calibrated airspeed of 91 knots (105 mph).
Achieving this full transition milestone is critical to validating the flight physics of Archer’s proprietary 12-tilt-6-propeller configuration that it uses on Maker as well as Midnight
“From day one, Archer’s strategy has always been about finding the most efficient path to commercialising eVTOL aircraft,” said Adam Goldstein, Archer’s Founder and CEO. “The data and experience we’ve gathered from Maker’s rigorous flight testing programme has been invaluable to the development and certification path of Midnight and lends further confidence to our belief that Archer will be the first company to certify an eVTOL aircraft in the US with the FAA.”
