Archer Aviation announced on Monday that its 4-passenger electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft — named Midnight — has completed a Northern California leg of its “No Roads” tour of the state with a series of flights departing from Oakland International Airport to smaller airports nearby, including including Hayward, Mountain View, San Martin, and San Jose. A flight from Oakland to San Francisco’s Marina District only takes 10 minutes, compared to over an hour by car in traffic. The company advertises a 100-mile range and a top speed of 150mph for Midnight, which flies on 12 rotors. The six behind its wing spin only during vertical takeoffs and landings, while the six in front pivot upright for those helicopter-like operations and then rotate back to horizontal for powered flight in between. Midnight can also perform conventional takeoffs and landings. Archer aims to operate air-taxi services around Los Angeles during the 2028 Olympics there, having won a designation last May as the “Official Air Taxi Provider” of the games.
