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A view from Midnight’s cockpit during Archer’s roundtrip journey between Salinas and Monterey.
Archer Aviation has completed a piloted roundtrip flight between Salinas Municipal Airport and Monterey Regional Airport in California, using conventional runway takeoffs and landings as it prepares for potential operations under the White House’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program.
The aircraft, Midnight N703AX, completed each leg of the July 30 trip in about 9 min., compared with a drive Archer said can take more than 35 min. The flights were conducted in coordination with the FAA.
“This roundtrip journey is exactly the kind of route we plan to fly with Midnight under the eIPP and in LA during the Olympic Games,” Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein said in a statement. “This mission provides a template for us to replicate with our partners across Texas, Florida and New York as we get ready for eIPP operations later this year.”
The demonstration marked the first airport-to-airport mission for Midnight, but it did not include vertical takeoff or landing. Archer has not yet completed a piloted transition flight with Midnight from thrustborne hover into wingborne cruise. That remains an important distinction as several of its main competitors including Joby Aviation, Beta Technologies and Vertical Aerospace have already completed piloted transition flights. Archer has previously said it plans to conduct Midnight’s piloted transition during the second half of 2026.
The flight comes as Archer broadens its focus beyond the civil air taxi market through the newly unveiled Halo and Thunder hybrid-electric tiltrotor aircraft.
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