Archer Aviation Inc. has launched its ‘No Roads’ flight tour, a new phase of its city-to-city flight testing programme designed to demonstrate the potential of electric air taxis across the United States.
Developed in close coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the programme will initially focus on Northern California, where Archer will conduct a series of flights connecting different cities.
The first flight is scheduled to travel to Hollister, with further flights planned for Monterey, San Martin, San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco. The programme follows more than 70 completed test flights in August alone, as well as Midnight’s recent piloted roundtrip flight between Salinas Municipal Airport and Monterey Regional Airport.
The Northern California campaign is intended to serve as a stepping stone towards operations in the Los Angeles area, Texas and Florida. Archer says these flights will help advance its operational readiness as it prepares for its role as the Official Air Taxi Provider of the LA28 Games and its participation in the White House’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP).
Turning long road journeys into short air trips
The ‘No Roads’ Tour is built around routes that can take an hour or more by car but could be completed in approximately 10 to 20 minutes aboard Midnight.
Through these city-to-city demonstrations, Archer aims to highlight what it describes as the key benefits of air taxi operations for local communities: low noise, zero operating emissions and the ability to bypass road traffic.
“This is the beginning of that story and our biggest step yet toward making air taxis an everyday reality in cities across America,” said Adam Goldstein, Founder and CEO of Archer.
Goldstein also referred to what he has previously called the “Waymo Moment for air taxis”, describing the tour as an opportunity to make communities increasingly familiar and comfortable with the technology.
According to Goldstein, the programme is not only intended to demonstrate the technology but also to prepare Archer for its next stage of operations, including flights in multiple states under the White House pilot programme and the first Midnight flights in Los Angeles ahead of LA28.
Charging infrastructure to expand alongside flight testing
As part of the tour, Archer also plans to reveal electric aircraft charging locations in multiple states through its ACES (America’s Consortium for Electric Skyways) programme.
The initiative is being developed with BETA Technologies and Macquarie Capital. Archer describes the ACES consortium and its interoperable infrastructure approach as important elements in building the electric aviation network required to support the White House’s eIPP and enable air taxi operations to scale nationwide.
The infrastructure rollout therefore forms part of Archer’s broader effort to move beyond individual aircraft testing and establish the ground network needed for regular electric aviation operations.
Midnight designed for urban travel
Archer’s wider objective with Midnight is to reshape urban transportation by replacing 60- to 90-minute ground commutes with quiet, all-electric flights that can significantly reduce travel times.
Midnight is a piloted, four-passenger, all-electric air taxi designed to support rapid back-to-back flights. The aircraft operates with zero operating emissions, positioning it at the centre of Archer’s strategy to develop a new form of urban and regional mobility.
The ‘No Roads’ Tour represents the company’s latest effort to move Midnight from flight testing towards practical city-to-city operations, while simultaneously preparing the technology and infrastructure for wider deployment in the United States.
