Archer gets into the air...

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TheGreenGoblin
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Archer gets into the air...

#1 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Tue Dec 21, 2021 9:40 am

Archer Aviation announced Monday it’s the latest electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi manufacturer to successfully get a prototype aircraft off the ground.

https://www.archer.com/news
The aircraft—dubbed Maker—flew at Archer’s California testing facility on December 16 after months of development and preparation.

Archer offered few details of the flight, saying only that the aircraft climbed off the ground and hovered in place before returning to the ground safely, according to a press release.

“Today is a milestone for both Archer and the future of travel,” said Archer co-founder and co-CEO Brett Adcock in a statement. “I’m extremely proud of this exceptional team.”

Adam Goldstein, Archer co-founder and co-CEO, said the company started with a mission to ​​develop “both an aircraft and an [urban air mobility] ecosystem that could scale and change the face of intra-city travel.” Archer now leaps to the forefront of the eVTOL movement, which aims to develop environmentally friendly passenger aircraft that can make quick hops over traffic-congested urban areas.

“With our first hover flight now completed, we’re one major step closer to that goal and have proven that Archer can work at a fast pace without sacrificing safety or quality,” Goldstein said.

In fact, Archer has already demonstrated it can move forward at a fairly fast pace. The Palo Alto-based company has followed a remarkably fast timeline from publicly unveiling Maker’s design concept to achieving first hover flight in only six months.

“Our team stands ready to continue that pace as we work toward launching an aerial ridesharing service in late 2024,” Goldstein said.




https://www.flyingmag.com/archer-aviati ... hover-test

That nose wheel looks frail to me... but congrats to these guys... they have made very quick progress...
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Re: Archer gets into the air...

#2 Post by PHXPhlyer » Tue Dec 21, 2021 5:33 pm

I had not heard of Archer before this.
Same for Joby, Heart, and Vertical Aerospace, as mentioned in the Flying article.

I was also surprised to see tha Archer and Joby are listed on the NYSE and Lilium is listed on the Nasdaq.

https://www.flyingmag.com/archer-goes-public/

Archer Aviation Is Latest eVTOL Firm To Start Public Trading
Deal brings in less funding than anticipated when announced earlier this year.
By Thom Patterson
September 17, 2021

Archer Aviation launched on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday. Al Arena

Archer Aviation is now the third air taxi developer to start public trading since August—the second just this week—after it successfully completed a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, also known as a SPAC.

As of Friday, the Palo Alto, California-based company appears on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ACHR.

“Completing our go-public transaction and having Archer trade on the New York Stock Exchange is a huge milestone for our business,” said Brett Adcock, co-founder and co-CEO of Archer, in a statement Friday. “This is the culmination of a lot of hard work by the great team we have at Archer, but it is also the beginning of the next phase of our development and growth.”

Added Adam Goldstein, co-founder and co-CEO of Archer, “We are working to build an urban air mobility network that can change the way people travel in and around cities forever. We believe we have the team, the technology and the strategic partners to make our vision a reality.”

Friday’s listing was initiated through a business combination with Atlas Crest Investment Corp., SPAC or “blank check company.” A SPAC is basically a publicly traded company that seeks to raise capital for the purpose of acquiring or merging with a private company and taking it public. It doesn’t have a commercial operation.

SPACs aren’t new but they have become increasingly attractive to private companies seeking to generate capital without having to go through the traditional, and often cumbersome, process of going to market through an IPO.

During a meeting Tuesday, Atlas Crest shareholders voted on the merger, and of the votes cast, 96 percent were in favor. The merger will generate $857.6 million in gross proceeds, including $600 million from a private investment in public equity (PIPE) deal.

While the merger is positive news for the company, it will receive far less money than it projected earlier this year.

In February, when Archer and Atlas initially announced the merger plan, proceeds were expected to be about $1.1 billion. But during Tuesday’s vote, 48.5 percent of eligible shareholders exercised redemption rights, resulting in $242 million less in revenue.

Despite the setback, company officials remained positive this week.

“We are pleased to have reached this important milestone in closing our transaction with Archer,” said Michael Spellacy, CEO of Atlas Crest, in a statement. “With the proceeds from this transaction, Archer is entering the public markets from a position of financial and competitive strength to accomplish their mission of revolutionizing the future of urban transportation.”

Another Day, Another SPAC
Archer joins a growing list of companies in the eVTOL ecosystem using SPACs to go public.

It’s all part of a new wave of electric-powered aircraft development that’s expected to start commercial operations by the end of the decade. The eVTOL industry aims to create an environmentally friendly mode of air transportation that will offer quick, convenient hops over traffic-congested streets and highways.

Earlier this week, Germany-based eVTOL maker Lilium (LILM) began trading on the Nasdaq after a similar SPAC merger was approved by shareholders of Qell Acquisition Corp. A third air taxi developer, Joby, began publicly trading on the NYSE on August 11 as JOBY, also thanks to a SPAC deal. And Vertical Aerospace has announced its intentions to go public before the end of this year.

As of Thursday, Joby was down from its August 11 peak, while Lilium’s share price has been trending up since its first day on the market on Wednesday.

Details About the Aircraft
A two-seat demonstrator of Archer’s eVTOL aircraft, dubbed “Maker,” is expected to begin flight testing by the end of this year, according to Archer’s website.

Maker is designed to fly with 12 electric-powered rotors mounted on a large wing located above the passenger and crew compartment. All 12 of the rotors lift the aircraft in hovering mode like a helicopter. But during horizontal flight, six rotors tilt forward to provide forward propulsion, allowing the aircraft to fly like a plane.

Maker’s empennage incorporates a V-tail design.

Maker’s specs include a range of 52 nm (60 miles) and a cruise speed of 130 knots (150 mph). Total weight: 1,508 kg (3,335 lbs). The eVTOL’s noise level is said to be 45 dBA, which Archer describes as “inaudible while flying overhead.”

Its electric motors will be powered by six independent lithium-ion battery packs with a total capacity of 75 kWh and maximum power of 672 kw.

“We founded Archer to address the environmental and societal issues caused by road transportation and urban overloading,” said Archer co-founder and co-CEO Adam Goldstein in a statement earlier this year. “Through our all-electric aircraft, we are striving to curb carbon emissions, decrease traffic, and create the transportation networks of the future.”

Archer expects to begin production of a four-seat version of Maker beginning in 2022. This month, the company announced it had passed a key threshold toward final FAA certification for its aircraft.

In January, United Airlines said it had placed an order with Archer—subject to business and operating requirements—worth $1 billion, with an option for $500,000 more. Possible launch markets include Los Angeles—a United hub—as soon as 2024.

Archer has been embroiled in an ongoing billion-dollar legal dispute with rival Wisk Aero over allegations of trade secret theft. Archer has denied the claims.

PP

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Re: Archer gets into the air...

#3 Post by Boac » Tue Dec 21, 2021 5:55 pm

My money is on Lilium - won't chop up so many bye-standers.

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Re: Archer gets into the air...

#4 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Dec 25, 2021 4:17 am

I wonder what poor old Michael Robert Dacre, ex-army helicopter pilot, and air taxi visionary, would have made of the plethora of companies that are planning to fly at the dawn of this new chapter in commercial aviation? His ill fated Jetpod aircraft now seems as far away from the electric, AI, computer directed rotor craft, as the Wright Flyer is from the F-35, such has been the rate of technological evolution and advancement in this industry sector in the last few years.

https://www.popsci.com/military-aviatio ... tors-life/
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Re: Archer gets into the air...

#5 Post by AtomKraft » Tue Jan 04, 2022 7:45 pm

Might be wrong, but I don't see ANY of these crazy schemes working.
Certainly, certification is going to be a bitch.

Good luck though, Gentlemen- you're going to need it.

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Re: Archer gets into the air...

#6 Post by prospector » Wed Jan 05, 2022 1:02 am

Is it going to create a new profession? Air taxi control? Folk cant help having prangs in cars when only operating in two dimensions, what will happen when another is added.

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