Major airlines have committed to ordering more than $2 billion worth of Archer’s Midnight eVTOLs. (Archer Aviation Photo) In the Spotlight: Melissa McCaffrey, Head of Government Affairs, Archer AAM company’s lead lobbyist discusses what’s next. By Mark Huber Archer Aviation is one of the leading companies in the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) industry. With a market capitalization estimated at $3.98 billion in late April, Archer has made significant progress in recent years: • Obtained commitments from United Airlines and Japan Airlines for up to $2 billion in aircraft sales • Allied with global automaker Stellantis for serial production and construction of a large final assembly plant in the US state of Georgia • Obtained various FAA certificates, including Part 135 air carrier, Part 145 repair station, and Part 141 flight school • Formed a defense division and delivered aircraft to the US Air Force • Announced air taxi networks in India, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the US cities of Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco • Successfully completed hundreds of hours of test flights of its Midnight aircraft. Melissa McCaffrey joined Archer last year as head of government affairs. McCaffrey previously led Overair’s government affairs division and prior to that, she spent a decade at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. She holds a bachelor’s degree in air traffic management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and has been a licensed pilot for over 20 years. POWER UP recently discussed the road ahead for Archer and the advanced air mobility (AAM) sector. This interview has been lightly edited. POWER UP: How do you leverage your supplier and customer coalition to navigate the regulatory and legislative environment? McCaffrey: We’ve been very intentional about building a global partner network. It gives us the flexibility to adapt to different regulatory landscapes. Our goal is to launch service in the UAE later this year, and we’ll bring that experience to our work with the FAA and other regulators to move toward commercial service in the United States. So that data will expedite the spread of AAM service? It’s going to be really valuable data. Our service in the UAE will be a game changer, and I think it’s going to be an accelerator for US operations. You formed Archer Defense last year. Is sustained government financial support necessary for AAM to achieve its full potential? Yes. There’s a very long history of defense shaping civil aviation. Just think of GPS. That was originally developed for the military, and now we use it for precision navigation and instrument approaches. We’re able to move away from ground-based navigation systems like VOR and NDB, which have clear limitations on accuracy and coverage areas. Learning from the defense world and applying it to commercial operations will be a key to AAM success. What’s Archer’s strategy for building state and local support for AAM, especially in markets such as New York and Los Angeles, where there is perennial political hostility in some quarters toward vertical aviation? You have to be good neighbors and community partners. Trust isn’t earned overnight, which is why we’ve been working closely with city leaders, local communities, and elected officials to show them how different our aircraft is and the positive impacts it will have. We’re quieter than a helicopter, which is a major unlock, as we’re looking to serve communities. Some of these areas may not have been able to access aviation because of noise, safety, or environmental concerns. When we come into the mix, we’re creating local jobs, expanding workforce opportunity, and supporting new infrastructure—all lasting benefits. Each new Congress and administration brings different policy nuances. What signals have you received from Capitol Hill and the White House regarding continued support for AAM? There’s strong bipartisan, bicameral support for AAM, and that enables us to hit major regulatory milestones with fewer issues, whether it be FAA reauthorization, the SFAR [Special Federal Aviation Regulations] that created the new powered-lift category of aircraft and the framework for pilot training certification and operations, or the development of vertiport guidance. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle recognize the potential for leadership in this space and its potential to create jobs. This support is critical as we enter into the next year. The groundwork that was laid is really going to come to fruition and move this industry forward. Archer has already received several FAA certification approvals. How do you maintain a smooth relationship with the agency? We’ve taken a collaborative approach, and we have a very good team that’s respected within Washington. We had a lot of early engagement, and we’ve built trust. It’s positioned us as a leader in the space and as an AAM resource, so it’s been great. But it’s taken a lot of work to get to this point. AAM could require substantial infrastructure investment. How is this concern being addressed? The FAA reauthorization act has some very critical pieces for infrastructure. We want to ensure they’re funded and that people follow through—that those items become reality. There’s also a lot of underused aviation infrastructure across the United States. We’re focused on educating and helping local governments plan to make the most of this infrastructure. Along this line, we’ve been very thoughtful with planning and execution. Our electric charging system is an example. We use the CCS charging standard, which is the universal charging standard. This will allow us to integrate into existing systems without any major changes. We also work with existing airport master plans and talk to airport authorities all the time. We have close, thoughtful discussions with them. The states don’t want to fall behind. They want to be part of this industry. Multiple jurisdictions are making statewide plans, figuring out the next step, bringing the right people to the table, and having the hard conversations about what they need. It’s a multilayer effort when it comes to government, and everybody is trying to make sure it aligns, that there isn’t a patchwork of regulation or different ideas. It’s an exciting moment in aviation. We’re not just building aircraft—we’re shaping a new mode of transportation. Mark Huber is an aviation journalist with more than two decades of experience in the vertical flight industry.
