PRESS RELEASE

NEWS

BLOG

They traversed oceans in the face of uncertainty. They ventured across lands in the face of risk. They aimed for the stars in the face of overwhelming doubt. Driven by hope. Driven by destiny. Driven by the belief that we can be more. More than the borders we impose upon ourselves, through skepticism or fear. Our world can be made smaller by those willing to go further. 

Our nation celebrates our aviation history this month and reflects on all that we are thankful for on this day. It seems a somewhat fitting intersection for us. At Archer, we are the product of that history and thankful for the opportunity to shape our future. 

It began with a vision. We could be more. We could move faster, venture further, be smarter about how we travel and live. Not merely confined to the walls we’ve built up around us, no longer tethered to only two dimensions. And so our journey began. We came together with vision, with purpose, to set the future in motion.

We took lessons from the past. We looked at what’s been made possible and what can be made better. We looked at the runway ahead and the world around. How can we be safer, cleaner, a benefit to everyone? Our response came quickly. With our small team, composed of some of the brightest minds in aerospace, we created our first prototype. A scaled version of what aerial travel can be, it laid the foundation for something more.

In June of this year, Maker made its world debut. With fully electric power from its six independent battery packs, it proved the future can be cleaner. With twelve motors and multiple flight control redundancies, it proved the future can be safer. It gave us a glimpse of where we can go, how far we can journey right here at home. A future where commuting is a matter of minutes, not hours; where we can travel comfortably, quietly and consciously.

As we grew, so did the reality of what will become Urban Air Mobility (UAM). We partnered with United Airlines in our shared vision of decarbonized flight. We partnered with Stellantis to accelerate manufacturing, cutting the distant future down to a few short years. We set to work with the FAA to ensure the highest levels of safety gleaned from the most rigorous of tests. We teamed up with REEF, and cities such as Los Angeles and Miami, to set the framework for how we will more easily move around our urban environments.

Soon, our vision-turned-reality will take flight. Every day the moment draws nearer. Through every software scrub, propeller warm-up, or flight control test we inch closer to that next step in our journey. One made possible not just by the teams of Archers pushing forward, but by all those who made their mark on aviation history.

So today, we reflect on all that we are thankful for. Thankful for pioneers who first took us to the skies and the stars. Thankful for those who’ve joined our vision, dedicating themselves to bringing the future forward. Thankful for those shaping a new way of thinking, and of moving. Our partners, our supporters, every one joining us here. The future is not built alone. It is from all of us, and for all of us, who are willing to venture further.

Today, we reflect on all that we are thankful for. Thankful for pioneers who first took us to the skies and the stars. Thankful for those who’ve joined our vision, dedicating themselves to bringing the future forward.

Thankful to History

Team Comprised of Director of Fly-By-Wire Control System, Sergio Ferreira, Director of Vehicle Management Systems, Damien Bardon and Flight Control and Avionics Program Lead, Perrine Mathieu

Archer’s Flight Control and Software team will focus on the fly-by-wire system that allows for operator control of the aircraft


The best-in-class team has joined as Archer’s flagship aircraft, Maker, undergoes final preparations for its first hover flight later this year

Palo Alto, CA, November 23, 2021 - Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE: ACHR), a leading developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, has constructed a best-in-class Flight Control and Software team as the company ramps up to its first flight later this year recently appointing Sergio Ferreira to lead the company’s fly-by-wire flight control system development. Ferreira brings two decades of experience developing, integrating, validating, verifying and certifying fly-by-wire flight control systems. He joins Archer after nearly 10 years with Gulfstream Aerospace, where he most recently was the Flight Control Systems Lead for Advanced Aircraft Systems. Previously he was Gulfstream's Flight Control Systems lead for the Gulfstream G400, G500 and G600 fly-by-wire flight control systems, where he was responsible for the development, integration, validation and certification of the flight control computers for that aircraft family. Ferreira’s decades of aviation experience will strengthen the Flight Control and Software team as Archer moves closer to first flight. 

“This is an exciting time for Archer and the broader aviation industry. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work on the flight control system that will undergird the entire aircraft and usher in the future of air travel,” said Sergio Ferreira. “Fly-by-wire systems leverage computational power and electronics to simplify operation and reduce pilot workload. At the same time, they provide protection functions, allowing us to design an aircraft as safe as it is innovative. Through Archer, I’m looking forward to pushing the industry forward as we look towards the transportation of tomorrow.” 

Damien Bardon, one of Archer’s earliest employees, is assuming the role of Director of Vehicle Management Systems. In this position, Bardon will lead the Flight Control and Software team in the development of the essential aircraft components that enable control of the aircraft.

Prior to his time with Archer, Bardon spent several years at ACubed, Airbus’ Silicon Valley innovation center, leading the avionics development for the Vahana eVTOL demonstrator. He led the development of the Vahana avionics systems from an early concept up to the completion of a successful flight test campaign. He has significant experience working with avionics components around navigation, communication, flight controls, embedded flight software and other complex aircraft systems that make fly-by-wire flight controls possible.

“It’s a privilege to be a part of a company like Archer that is paving the way for urban air mobility,” said Bardon. “Our work developing and implementing the systems that ultimately control the aircraft will be critical towards achieving first flight and other milestones.” 

Rounding out the Flight Control and Software team is Perrine Mathieu, Flight Controls and Avionics Program Lead. She will work alongside Bardon, Ferreira and the broader team and will be accountable for the development and implementation of the fly-by-wire flight control system of Archer’s production aircraft. She brings experience with aviation flight control and vehicle management systems, most recently with Bell, where she was responsible for vehicle management systems. At Bell, Mathieu led the development and implementation of software development, flight controls, avionics, electrical systems and handling qualities across several platforms. 

Prior to her time at Bell, Mathieu worked as a design engineer for Triumph Aerostructures, in the Vought Aircraft Division. Her broad range of experience in the aviation industry further strengthens the Flight Control and Software team as Archer continues to work towards achieving its flying goals.

“It is an incredible opportunity to work with this team at Archer that is so full of talent and experience, I am excited to contribute to the development of the aircraft and the industry as a whole,” said Perrine Mathieu.

“In the last year, Archer has hired some of the best and brightest from the aviation community to transform how we move around cities,” said Brett Adcock, Archer co-founder and co-CEO.  “It’s thanks to this team that we’ve accomplished so much in such a short time and sit at the precipice of achieving our next milestone, first flight.”

“Damien, Sergio and Perrine have decades of flight control and systems experience and are exceptional additions to the Archer team,” said Adam Goldstein, Archer co-founder and co-CEO. “We are excited to share their contributions as we move closer to first flight and to making sustainable urban air mobility a reality.”

Continue to follow along with Archer’s journey via www.archer.com.

Archer’s mission is to advance the benefits of sustainable air mobility. Archer’s goal is to move people throughout the world's cities in a quick, safe, sustainable, and cost-effective manner. Archer is designing and developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for use in urban air mobility. Archer's team is based in Palo Alto, CA. To learn more, visit www.archer.com 

Archer Assembles Best-in-Class Flight Control and Software Team as it Propels Towards First Flight

It’s natural to compare a new concept to one that’s familiar. Think about how many startups there are offering on-demand, app-based services promising to be “The Netflix of _____” or the “Airbnb of ____” of their industry. But the harm in defaulting to comparisons is that many new technologies are entirely new categories of innovation. A space shuttle, for example, isn’t an airplane that goes into space: it’s a new category of aircraft. Similarly, describing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft as “flying cars” or “electric helicopters,” isn’t accurate. As Archer designs and develops its eVTOL aircraft, we’re not remixing dated models of transportation; we’re creating an entirely new frontier: urban air mobility (UAM).

From cartoons to books to movies, science fiction inspired us to dream of the day we would all have flying cars. But the reality of ordinary citizens with a driver’s license alternating between roads and airspace isn’t a beacon of hope; it's a marker of concern. 

Fortunately, that’s not the future we’re building.

The promise of eVTOL aircraft is that they will free people from the burdens of everyday commuter traffic: less time traveling, more time exploring. Passengers won’t be saddled with the task of maintaining the aircraft, recharging the batteries, or locating a vertiport for parking: they can simply enjoy the ride while a professional pilot handles the hard stuff.

The vertical takeoff and landing capability of eVTOL aircraft draws understandable comparisons to helicopters, but eVTOL aircraft differ in several crucial ways, including emissions, noise levels and safety.

First, let’s consider the environmental impact of each aircraft. The average helicopter burns through 20 gallons of fuel every hour—a burn rate that is both expensive and bad for the environment. Archer’s demonstrator eVTOL aircraft, Maker, emits zero emissions during operation as it relies on six independent battery packs instead of fossil fuel. 

From a sound perspective, eVTOL aircraft are the clear winner: Archer’s eVTOL aircraft is designed for cruising noise levels of only 45 dB* - quieter than cars or even normal conversation levels—while helicopters produce 78 dB of sound at a cruising altitude of 2,000 feet. Keep in mind that sound is measured logarithmically, so a helicopter is actually about 1000 times louder than our eVTOL aircraft is designed to be when cruising overhead.

Finally, we have the issue of safety. The Archer eVTOL aircraft design looks like a hybrid between a helicopter and an airplane, with a total of 12 motors—six forward and six aft—mounted on two wings. One of the benefits of the design is that, in the highly unlikely case that any one of those motors fails, Maker can continue to fly safely. A helicopter, by contrast, has only two rotors, which serve very different purposes: the main rotor lifts and moves the helicopter in any direction, while the tail rotor turns the helicopter in a hover. If a helicopter’s main rotor fails, the consequences are usually catastrophic. While most helicopters have hundreds of single points of catastrophic failure, Archer’s eVTOL aircraft are designed to have ZERO. 

eVTOL Aircraft as the Future of Urban Travel

Transformative innovations have a time and place. Steam-powered locomotives were a boon to transportation when they launched, but many trains are powered by electricity today. A gasoline-powered car was an improvement over literal horsepower, but common sense tells us that electric is the future of automotive travel. In that same vein, eVTOL aircraft are the natural successor to helicopters: a new technology offering better results. Fast, safe, eco-friendly, quiet and accessible, eVTOL aircraft can seize upon the promise of urban air mobility, and transform it into an accessible travel option for anyone wanting to save time and money.

* The estimate noise level on the ground while aircraft is cruising over head at an altitude of 2,000 feet.

As Archer designs and develops its eVTOL aircraft, we’re not remixing dated models of transportation; we’re creating an entirely new frontier: urban air mobility

eVTOL Aircraft vs. Helicopters

PALO ALTO, CA, November 11, 2021 - Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE: ACHR) has announced its financial results for the third quarter of 2021 in its shareholder letter, which is available here or on its investor relations website (http://investors.archer.com). 

Archer will host a live audio webcast of its conference call to discuss the results at 4:30 p.m. ET today. The live webcast will be accessible from Archer’s investor relations website (http://investors.archer.com). An archive of the webcast will be available on that same website shortly after the call.  

Archer’s mission is to advance the benefits of sustainable air mobility. Archer’s goal is to move people throughout the world's cities in a quick, safe, sustainable, and cost-effective manner. To accomplish this goal, Archer is designing and developing an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for use in future urban air mobility networks. Archer's team is based in Palo Alto, CA. 

Archer will host a live audio webcast of its conference call to discuss the results at 4:30 p.m. ET today.

Filter by:

Media Kit Includes:

Media Inquiries

Filter by:

Media Kit Includes:

Media Inquiries

Get the latest from Archer!