Archer: The Race to Fly Over Traffic

Two founders who started out in finance and hiring sell their recruiting startup, then set out to build an aircraft. They go public through a blank-check merger, get sued by a Boeing-backed rival, lose a co-founder to robotics, and promise passenger flights by 2025. This is the story of Archer Aviation and its Midnight air taxi. We follow it from a stealth hiring spree through slipped certification dates, Abu Dhabi, the Los Angeles Olympics, a defense deal with Anduril, and a twist in which Archer agrees to buy the company that once sued it. Then we ask the skeptic’s question: if helicopters never made flying over traffic ordinary, why would an electric air taxi, and why is a company that has never carried a passenger worth billions? Narrated by Maya, an AI voice. Researched and written by Charles-Olivier Amyot. Midflight is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any company discussed. In this episode * Adam Goldstein and Brett Adcock go from Vettery to Archer, and the hiring spree that shook up air taxi engineering salaries * The Atlas Crest SPAC, United’s order, and Wisk’s trade-secret lawsuit (allegations, with Archer’s response) through to the 2023 settlement * How Midnight is meant to work, the dates that slipped, and the short-seller allegations Archer disputes * New York Airways, the 1977 Pan Am Building crash, and Archer’s four-part answer to why helicopters never became everyday transport * Hawthorne Airport, the White House pilot program, Thunder and Halo with Anduril, the Boeing deal for Wisk, Insitu and SkyGrid, and the napkin math on cash and aircraft The number to watchThe number of passengers, beyond Archer’s own pilots, who have flown in a Midnight. Today it is zero. Archer had aimed to carry its first passengers in 2026. Watch when, and where, that number moves. How we label factsCompany claims are called claims, single-outlet stories are called reports, and claims made in lawsuits or by short sellers are called allegations, alongside the company’s response. This episode is not investment advice. Sources * Archer Q2 2026 results (SEC 8-K) * TechCrunch, SPAC deal and United order * BNN Bloomberg, Wisk v. Archer * TechCrunch, Wisk settlement * Archer, Midnight unveiled * Gulf Times (Bloomberg), UAE timeline slips * DroneXL, White House pilot program selection * Aviation Week, Salinas to Monterey flight * Inside Unmanned Systems, Boeing deal terms * Gothamist, the 1977 Pan Am Building crash * Airways, the state of eVTOL innovators * Pickdrones, Joby v. Archer ruling This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit midflightfm.substack.com