Archer's flying taxi takes its first hover flight

The eVTOL took flight for the first time during a successful test.
 By 
Sasha Lekach
 on 
A small airplane hover above the tarmac.
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Aircraft maker Archer is boasting about a recent hover test.

Its electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, known as an eVTOL, made it off the ground last week. Earlier this year Archer showed off its five-seater prototype, called Maker. The company plans to develop an air taxi commuter transportation system with its small electric planes.

At a test flight location in California, the demo Maker went airborne successfully and autonomously on Thursday morning. While not a full flight, the successful hover showed that the hardware and software was in working order. This first test means the company can move onto more testing in the new year.

Archer is aiming for a 2024 launch date in cities like Miami and Los Angeles.

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Sasha Lekach

Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.


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