TLDR
- Archer Aviation’s Midnight eVTOL completed a 40+ mile round-trip between Salinas and Hollister, California, in about 12 minutes each way at 125 mph.
- ACHR stock rose just 0.35% in pre-market trading following the milestone flight.
- Archer completed more than 70 test flights in August and plans stops across Northern California plus LA, Texas, Florida, and New York.
- In August, ACHR gained 24.6% after announcing a deal to acquire Boeing’s Wisk Aero, SkyGrid, and Insitu subsidiaries.
- Wall Street rates ACHR a Strong Buy with an average price target of $11.60, implying over 103% upside.
Archer Aviation’s Midnight aircraft completed a piloted round-trip flight between Salinas and Hollister municipal airports in California on September 8, as part of the company’s “No Roads” flight tour. ACHR stock is currently trading around $5.72, up just 0.35% in pre-market.
The flight covered more than 40 miles and took roughly 12 minutes each way. The same drive by car takes around 30 to 40 minutes. Midnight hit 125 mph and cruised at 3,550 feet.
The flights are being conducted in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration. Archer says the tour is designed to build real-world operational experience ahead of its planned commercial air-taxi service.
Day trippin’
Midnight flew its first "No Roads" tour route last Friday: a piloted roundtrip between Salinas and Hollister, CA.
12 min each way by air instead of ~40 min by car.
125 mph. 3,550 ft. 40+ miles roundtrip.Next stops: Monterey, San Martin, San Jose, Oakland, San… pic.twitter.com/bP05jAu52W
— Archer (@flyarcher) September 8, 2026
Archer logged more than 70 test flights in August alone, including a separate piloted round-trip between Salinas and Monterey. That’s a steady ramp in activity for a company still working toward FAA certification.
“No Roads” Tour Continues Across the U.S.
The tour is set to expand through Northern California with planned stops in Monterey, San Martin, San Jose, Oakland, and San Francisco. After that, Archer expects to fly in the Los Angeles area before conducting operations under the White House’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program in Texas, Florida, and New York.
CEO Adam Goldstein said the goal is to fly real routes and build experience ahead of the LA28 Olympic Games and the company’s planned eVTOL rollout.
Despite the operational progress, ACHR’s muted pre-market reaction tells a clear story. Investors are still waiting for milestones tied to FAA certification, a commercial launch date, and actual revenue.
Boeing Deal Gave ACHR a Boost in August
ACHR stock jumped 24.6% in August, far outpacing the S&P 500’s 2.6% and the Nasdaq’s 3.9% gains that month. The catalyst was a deal announced on August 10 to acquire three Boeing subsidiaries: Wisk Aero, SkyGrid, and Insitu.
Wisk has logged more than 1,700 test flights in the eVTOL space. SkyGrid handles air-traffic management and autonomous flight tech. Insitu makes drones and related software.
Boeing will receive a 16.5% stake in Archer, funded through newly issued stock. That means real dilution for existing holders, and it’s worth keeping in mind.
On the upside, Insitu is already profitable with roughly $200 million in annual revenue. That would give Archer an immediate boost to its sales profile.
Despite August’s gains, ACHR is still down around 24% year to date and has pulled back about 1.2% so far in September.
Six analysts have rated ACHR in the past three months, arriving at a Strong Buy consensus. The average price target sits at $11.60, which would represent more than 103% upside from the current price of $5.72.
The 52-week range for ACHR is $4.30 to $14.62, giving some context to where the stock sits today.
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