Plans for a System of Vertiports to Reduce Traffic
West Coast-based Archer Aviation plans to head East to set up a network in Miami, powered by Archer’s electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft, and in parallel to its efforts to establish a network in Los Angeles.
The Miami system will be a series of vertiports strategically positioned around various city locations, says Brett Adcock, the company’s co-founder and co-CEO along with Adam Goldstein.
“These vertiports will allow for aircraft landing, takeoff, recharging, and as-needed maintenance, and we’re designing them to fit seamlessly into the city’s existing infrastructure, thus minimizing the amount of new infrastructure development necessary to support our UAM [urban air mobility] network.”
Credit: Archer Aviation
Joining Archer in Miami is partner REEF Technologies. “As the largest operator of mobility and logistics hubs in the U.S., REEF provides access to thousands of sites in dense urban areas potentially suitable for Archer’s vertiports. We plan to leverage the largely dormant rooftop sites and open up new possibilities for route planning and eVTOL accessibility,” Goldstein says. The intent is to rejuvenate existing, functional structures to solve logistical issues.
“The overarching goal is transitioning a significant portion of travel to the skies so as to decongest Miami’s ground transportation systems and create massive time savings for Miamians’ transportation needs,” Adcock said.
While that daily tempo remains an unknown, the company plans to start off with flights to and from major population centers, such as airports and downtown Miami locations. From there, the network will build out with a focus on accessibility and significant time savings for passengers.