Archer Aviation Inc. has officially launched its ‘No Roads’ flight tour after successfully completing a piloted, city-to-city roundtrip flight using its Midnight all-electric aircraft between Salinas and Hollister, California.
The inaugural stop on the tour connected Salinas Municipal Airport and Hollister Municipal Airport, covering a total roundtrip distance of over 40 miles. The aircraft completed each leg in approximately 12 minutes, cruising at an altitude of 3,550 feet and reaching speeds of 125 mph. In contrast, traveling the same route by automobile typically takes about 40 minutes or more each way.
This milestone comes shortly after the company announced plans for its ‘No Roads’ tour and follows an active month of testing in August, during which Archer logged over 70 test flights. Among those recent achievements was a piloted roundtrip flight between Salinas Municipal Airport and Monterey Regional Airport.
The multi-city flight demonstration will continue over the coming weeks across Northern California, with scheduled stops in Monterey, San Martin, San Jose, Oakland, and San Francisco. By collaborating closely with state and local partners alongside the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the initiative aims to establish operational foundations before expanding flights to the Los Angeles area. Furthermore, the flight series supports upcoming operations under the White House’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) across Texas, Florida, and New York.
Adam Goldstein, Founder and CEO of Archer, said, “On Friday, Midnight flew between two California communities in a fraction of the time the trip would take by car. That’s the point of the ‘No Roads’ tour: bring Midnight to cities across America, fly real routes, and build the operational muscle for eIPP operations and LA28 alongside the FAA. Every route we fly makes the next one easier. By the time the world comes to LA for the Games, people will be ready for it.”
Designed explicitly for urban air mobility, the Midnight air taxi is engineered to deliver zero operating emissions while performing rapid, back-to-back flights. Through these regional demonstrations, Archer aims to replace lengthy 60-to-90-minute urban commutes with fast, quiet, all-electric aerial transport that offers a viable alternative to congested ground infrastructure.
