Archer Aviation has closed FAA Phase 3 testing and is now cleared to conduct piloted certification flights with federal personnel aboard—a critical regulatory gate that positions the San Jose-based eVTOL manufacturer to begin U.S. commercial operations in 2026 under the White House’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP).
The company announced the Phase 3 closure during its Q1 2026 earnings announcement on May 12, marking the first time any eVTOL producer has cleared this phase of the FAA’s four-phase Type Certification pathway. The milestone unlocks Type Inspection Authorization (TIA)—the regulatory mechanism that permits FAA personnel and designated representatives to fly aboard Midnight, Archer’s four-passenger production aircraft, during formal certification test flights that count directly toward Type Certificate eligibility.
What Phase 3 Closure Actually Means
Phase 3 closure represents FAA acceptance of 100 percent of Archer’s Means of Compliance (MoC)—the detailed technical criteria and test plans by which Midnight must demonstrate it meets all airworthiness standards. It’s not a certificate. It’s permission to enter supervised testing under federal observation.
Archer CEO Adam Goldstein put it plainly during the May earnings release: “With Phase 3 closure, we’ve achieved the clearest path to market this industry has ever had. The focus now is execution—building, deploying and flying these aircraft here in the United States.”
Piloted transition testing—where Midnight shifts between vertical takeoff mode and forward flight under FAA watch—is scheduled for the second half of 2026. That testing will generate the real-world performance data the FAA needs to finalize Midnight’s Type Certificate, expected to arrive in late 2026 or early 2027.
The eIPP Fast Track
On March 9, 2026, the U.S. Department of Transportation and FAA announced that Archer’s operational partners in Texas, Florida, and New York had been selected for the eIPP—a White House initiative formally signed into action in March 2026 to enable supervised eVTOL demonstration flights in real U.S. airspace before full certification is complete.
Rather than waiting years for traditional Type Certification, the eIPP allows participants to conduct limited demonstration operations under FAA oversight while generating safety, noise, and infrastructure data. It’s a pragmatic regulatory pivot: proving that electric air taxis can operate safely in actual airspace while simultaneously completing certification.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy underscored what’s at stake: “Working together, we will ensure America leads the way in safely leveraging next-gen aircraft to radically redefine personal travel, regional transportation, cargo logistics, emergency medicine and so much more.”
The Aircraft and Timeline
Midnight carries a pilot and four passengers at speeds exceeding 150 mph. It has a range up to 100 miles and a ceiling near 2,000 feet. The aircraft employs a “12-tilt-6” propeller configuration—twelve electric motors driving six tilting propellers with five-blade rotors for forward and vertical flight, and six fixed propellers with two-blade rotors for vertical lift—powered by a 75 kilowatt-hour battery pack. Ground-level noise measures approximately 45 A-weighted decibels, roughly 1,000 times quieter than a helicopter.
Operations under the eIPP are projected to begin by summer 2026. Archer is planning to support the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games as a demonstration showcase—and the company acquired Hawthorne Municipal Airport near Los Angeles for $126 million in November 2025 to serve as a primary operating base.
Joby Aviation, Archer’s main rival, is currently in the TIA phase and targeting a similar late 2026 launch window, meaning both manufacturers are converging on the same commercial entry point. Joby is currently pursuing certification and has already begun simulator-based crew training.
What Comes Next
FAA approval of Archer’s Type Inspection Authorization should come within weeks. The real test arrives in the second half of 2026—piloted transition flights that will show regulators and the public whether these aircraft can deliver on the promise of urban air mobility at airline-equivalent safety standards.
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