The former acting head of the FAA is now overseeing safety at a new electric aircraft company and it's a good sign for takeoff. Meet Archer's Midnight eVTOL.
Taylor Rains
- Electric planemaker Archer Aviation is one of the most promising eVTOL startups in the US.
- Overseeing safety is the former acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration, Billy Nolen.
One of the highest authorities on aircraft safety in the US just placed his bets on startup electric planemaker Archer Aviation, representing how close the world could be to this new era of air travel.
In June, former acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration, Billy Nolen, stepped away from the regulator to become Archer's chief safety officer.
While it sounds like mundane news, it actually appears to be a big endorsement for both Archer and the eVTOL market as Nolen has decades of flight experience and likely could have gone to almost any established airline or manufacturer. eVTOL stands for electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle.
Plus, he helped write the framework for eVTOL certification and came up with the FAA program "Innovate 28," which hopes to see thousands of electric aircraft flying throughout the US by the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Fortunately for Archer, that means it is likely now a few steps ahead of the competition: "I don't sign up for losing teams," Nolen told Insider at the Paris Air Show in June.
Archer has already produced a full-sized mockup of its upcoming eVTOL known as Midnight, which Nolen said is still on track to start commercial flights in early 2025 despite some regulatory hiccups.
Insider toured the aircraft in Paris to learn more. Take a look:
Archer unveiled Midnight for the first time in May after two years of testing its prototype known as Maker.
Maker is a two-seater eVTOL that set the foundation for Midnight.
It first flew in December 2021 and has continued to be Archer's technology demonstrator, but is not expected to operate commercially.
Equipped with six pairs of battery-powered propellers, the aircraft will undergo ground testing before its first flight later this summer.
The first aircraft is "non-conforming," meaning it is not produced perfectly in line with the FAA's standards.
This is because the agency is still implementing the exact framework for how to certify eVTOLs as the helicopter-plane hybrid falls under a category known as "powered lift" instead of the traditional "airplane" — something that has delayed several US eVTOL programs.
The position of the propellers on top of the wings is important for reducing emissions and noise.
This is particularly helpful in places like New York where city residents have long complained of noisy helicopters flying overhead at all hours of the day and night, like HeliFlite and Blade.
Lowering noise and carbon pollution is a big draw for airlines that are hoping to get into the growing urban air mobility market.
UAM is the use of low-altitude aircraft to transport people and goods between cities and rural areas, and has been growing in popularity as a solution to traffic congestion.
While Midnight checks these boxes, it is also favorable because it is optimally designed to fly between city centers and airports in 10-20 minutes.
Between flights, Midnight only takes 12 minutes to recharge thanks to its powertrain.
The aircraft's time efficiency is extremely important — especially as the UAM market is expected to grow to over $23 billion by 2035 and companies need to keep up.
Moreover, Midnight is designed for winged flight instead of just hovering – making it more efficient.
A spokesperson told Insider that hovering drains the battery faster than forward flight, so the winged design speeds that transition up to give the aircraft more range.
As far as affordability, Archer CEO Adam Goldstein told Insider that pricing will be around $100 per seat — similar to an Uber.
The flight would replace a ride-share fare between city centers and airports — and airlines are jumping at the idea.
In early 2021, United Airlines purchased $1 billion worth of Midnight eVTOLs and since announced the first proposed route between Manhattan and its Newark airport hub.
The airline soon after announced the second route between Chicago and the city's O'Hare International Airport. Both routes are expected to cut out driving, saving customers hours in traffic.
Although United has yet to announce a cabin design, Archer showed off its Midnight interior at the Paris Air Show.
According to a company spokesperson, Midnight was disassembled into three pieces for transport to Paris via ship and then reassembled onsite.
Inside, there were five seats — including four for passengers and one for the pilot.
The seats had a space-like look with a curved back and seatbelt.
Equipped at each seat were a wireless phone charger, cup holders, and cubbies.
Although it looked like a tight space from the outside, it wasn't too bad once you sat inside.
To create a more personalized experience, Archer has included a welcome screen on each seat that displays the assigned customer's name.
The screen also includes information about the destination and takeoff time, while the wing provides some added privacy.
A spokesperson told Insider that the idea is that people will eventually be able to call a Midnight eVTOL via an app and then guest information will connect to the screen.
Meanwhile, the large windows will give people great views of the world outside, especially those flying out of Manhattan.
And, there is room for passenger luggage in the aft cargo compartment. But it's not a huge space, so customers may need to keep that in mind when packing.
Archer is planning to build its fleet of electric planes at a 350,000-square-foot facility in Georgia, producing up to 650 per year.
Currently, Midnight's demonstrator aircraft are being built in California, but production is set to move to the East Coast in 2024.
The long-term plan is to expand the facility to 800,000 square feet, which is estimated to produce up to 2,300 eVTOLs per year.
While Midnight is one of the most promising upcoming eVTOLs, the new type of air travel has created some safety concerns among customers.
Similar to when the famous supersonic Concorde started flying, the public could show hesitancy to fly on an eVTOL because it is a new concept in the industry.
However, Nolen told Insider that once Midnight is certified, it "will be the equivalent of flying a Boeing 787 or an Airbus A350."
Certification requires rigorous testing and aircraft demonstrations, and it can take years to complete — especially when working with a complicated category of aircraft.
He contended that Midnight is "in many ways safer" because it doesn't deal with hydraulics or pressurization, and its propulsion system is simple with few moving parts and many redundancies.
Unknown to many flyers, commercial aircraft are designed to fly on just one engine.
EVTOLs are being built in a similar manner to ensure if one motor goes down, there are backups to keep the craft flying.
Midnight's one caveat is its single-pilot operation, which could impose increased safety risks.
The eVTOL will have a single pilot at the controls rather than two, which differs from passenger planes and means there is one less redundancy onboard.
An Archer spokesperson told Insider that the controls are intuitive with autonomous features built in, like holding the inputted hover altitude.
Granted, Midnight is a much smaller and less-complicated craft compared to commercial jetliners — but it's still probably bigger than people expect.
"It's always been cool seeing pictures of [Midnight], but seeing it in person brings it to life and makes people realize how big it actually is," the spokesperson said. "I think the scale of it helps people wrap their heads around flying in it."
While Archer is clearly turning heads, it is facing strong competition from other startups.
Other startups include Joby Aviation, EVE, Volocopter, and AutoFlight — all of which also showed off at the air show.
In October, Delta Air Lines invested $60 million into Joby Aviation's upcoming S4 2.0 eVTOL.
Meanwhile, Embraer-back EVE has already earned orders from companies like United, Miami's GlobalX Airlines, and Kenya Airways subsidiary Fahari Aviation.
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