Archer Aviation, an NYSE-listed eVTOL aircraft manufacturer, announced that it has completed 402 flight tests so far in September 2024, exceeding the 400-flight goal the company set for 2024 and being four months ahead of schedule.

Archer has bolstered its flight testing activities in 2024 in preparation for FAA certification and entry to eVTOL air taxi services in 2025. The company is also preparing to begin “for-credit” certification testing with the FAA in 2024, following its receipt of the FAA airworthiness criteria in May 2024 .

The company reported that its flight tests focused on five key areas: Transition flights, high-rate operations, landings, noise, and flight control laws. Also, to support the preparation for the FAA certification testing, Archer's flight test team evaluated the Midnight's landing abilities in various wind conditions and descent rates and used microphone arrays to evaluate the aircraft's noise signature during hover operations.

Analyst QuickTake: Archer's recent successive efforts in building its eVTOL operations ahead of 2025 included various partnerships with Signature Aviation , Kilroy Realty Corporation , and Southwest Airlines to develop air taxi routes in the US. It received a purchase order of 116 Midnight aircraft from Future Flight Global . Archer also delivered its Midnight aircraft to the US Air Force in August 2024 . It raised an additional USD 175 million in funding the same month to support its operations, bringing the total funding raised since July to USD 230 million.