The fun and futuristic cartoon “The Jetsons”, from the studio Hanna-Barbera Productions, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, was released on September 23, 1962, already with prominence. It was the first TV series broadcast in color by a TV station, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). It was ahead of its time for several reasons, including that, at that time, only 3% of the North American public owned color televisions.
The series The Jetsons was about the life of the Jetsons family who lived in the year 2062 and the future was presented to us: urban transport through flying vehicles, suspended cities, automated work, robots as domestic servants, video conferences, among other situations. This touched the fantasy and imagination of children and adults, precisely because it portrayed a world that did not exist, a science fiction world.
63 years after the cartoon The Jetsons, the startup Archer Aviation , responsible for developing the innovative Midnight , an electric eVTOL vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, aims to make urban transport a reality through eVTOL flying vehicles, which take off, land and hover vertically like a helicopter.
Archer's Midnight eVTOL aircraft. (Photo: Business Wire)
Archer Aviation's Director of Safety, Billy Nolen, stated at the Dubai Airshow that there is a possibility of the Midnight arriving on the market as early as next year, in 2025, which depends on regulatory approval by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). . It is worth mentioning that, last year, Midnight received its Special Airworthiness Certificate from the FAA, which paved the way for it to begin test flight operations, having recently completed this first phase.
Archer Aviation is one of several companies developing eVTOL. However, the consensus is that Archer and Joby Aviation are the two companies that are furthest along in their development.
The first phase of construction of the Archer factory, in Covington, Georgia, USA, is scheduled to end in 2024, with the installation of 350,000 square feet, equivalent to 32,516 m² that will be able to produce 600 aircraft per year. However, Archer will not be able to use its facilities to their full potential until it obtains FAA type certification for Midnight. This validates the design of the aircraft and its components, in compliance with strict safety standards.
Midnight has a flight range of approximately 100 miles/160 km, which can be completed on a single charge. but it is optimized for shorter consecutive flights of around 20 miles or 32 km, with 10 minutes of charging between trips, via plug-in. A maximum cruising speed of 150 mph, equivalent to 240 km/h, transitions to cruising at a speed of around 100 mph or 160 km/h.
Midnight is powered by six independent batteries, each supporting a pair of electric motors (2 Magidrive EPUs). Midnight is configured to operate with one pilot and up to four passengers and luggage. The Midnight not only stands out for its speed and sustainability, but also for its design - the aircraft has 12 electric propellers, a high main wing, a V-tail and a tricycle landing gear with fixed wheels, thus promising its passengers greater safety and less noise compared to conventional helicopters.
Archer's Midnight aircraft won the Muse 2023 Transportation Design of the Year award. The MUSE Design Awards is an international design competition dedicated to recognizing outstanding and original design work from around the world. Archer's team of design professionals is led by Julien Montousse, former head of design at Mazda North America; Niki Smart, who redesigned the Cadillac vehicle at General Motors; and Greg Warmsley, former executive creative director at Mazda.
Midnight is recommended for mobility in urban areas. The commercial intention is to use it mainly as a flying taxi, to travel from airports to city centers, but with the possibility of also carrying out tourist tours, among other applications. The business model calls for reservations for shared rides, with initial passenger costs estimated at $4 and $5 per mile, gradually decreasing over the following years.
Nikhil Goel, Chief Commercial Officer, Archer Aviation, highlighted the zero-emission and sustainable nature of Midnight. With noise levels approximately 100 times lower than conventional helicopters, Archer envisions a solution that aligns with the evolving scenario of smart cities.
Archer Aviation plans to launch commercial air taxi routes in major US cities such as New York and Chicago with its partner United Airlines in 2025, with international operations launching in Dubai and Abu Dhabi the following year.
United x Archer – Meet Midnight
The arrival of Midnight, among other flying urban transport vehicles that are in development, will partially turn into reality the futuristic scenes from The Jetsons broadcast on ABC TV in 1962, as, in addition to the flying vehicle that we are waiting for soon, Video conferencing, automated work, robots in a clear process of improvement are a reality, however, the suspended city of The Jetsons is not part of current reality and visible scenarios.
- Would it be a failure in Hanna-Barbera's visionary capacity?
- It's too early to say that!
- Have you forgotten that there are still 38 years to go until we reach the year 2062, which was introduced to us by The Jetsons?
Sources:
AFRICANNEWS . Flying Taxis: Archer Aviation's Vision for Urban Air Mobility Takes Flight . By Afolake Oyinloye and Agencies. Available at: < https://www.africanews.com/2023/11/16/flying-taxis-archer-aviations-vision-for-urban-air-mobility-takes-flight/ > Accessed on 09.mar.2024 .
AIRFRAMER. Aircraft Program. Archer Maker eVTOL . Available at: < https://www.airframer.com/aircraft_detail.html?model=ArchereVTOL > Accessed on March 10, 2024.
ARCHER AVIATION INC. Midnight . Available at: < https://archer.com/midnight > Accessed on 03/10/2024.
BUSINESS AIR NEWS. Archer scores Transportation Design of the Year for Midnight . Available at: < https://www.businessairnews.com/mag_story.html?ident=29621 > Accessed on: March 10, 2024.
CARLSEN, Courtney. THE MOTLEY FOOL. Where Will Archer Aviation Be in 1 Year? Available at: < https://www.fool.com/investing/2024/02/27/where-will-archer-aviation-be-in-1-year/ > Accessed on March 10, 2024.
DOMINGUES, Joelza Ester. Teaching History Blog . “The Jetsons”, the first color television show . Available at < https://ensinarhistoria.com.br/linha-do-tempo/ Primeiro-programa-de-televisao-colorido-the-jetsons/ > Accessed on 09.mar.2024.
FUTURE FLIGHT. WEITERING, Hanneke. Archer Revs Up Flight Tests With Midnight Evtol Air Taxi. Available at: < https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2024-02-02/archer-revs-flight-tests-midnight-evtol-air-taxi > Accessed on: March 11, 2024.
THE ARSENALE. Pioneering Sustainable Urban Mobility With Archer Aviation. Available at: < https://thearsenale.com/blogs/magazine/pioneering-sustainable-urban-mobility-with-archer-aviation > Accessed on: March 11, 2024.
WIKIPEDIA. The Jetsons. Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jetsons#:~:text=O%20primeiro%20estreou%20em%2023,in%C3%ADcio%20da%20d%C3%A9cada%20de%201960).%3E> Accessed on: 09.mar.2024.