Horizon Aircraft completes construction of composites-intensive 50%-scale prototype eVTOL aircraft

Horizon Aircraft Inc. (Toronto, Ont., Canada), an advanced aerospace engineering company, has announced that it has successfully completed the construction of its 50%-scale “Cavorite X5” electric vehicle takeoff and landing (eVTOL) prototype. Jason O’Neill, Horizon Aircraft chief operating officer (COO), told CW that the hybrid-electric aircraft could not have been built without its advanced composites team led by Kirk Creelman.

Horizon’s approach and technology enables the five-seat aircraft to fly 98% of its mission in a low-drag configuration like a traditional aircraft. Flying most of the time as a normal aircraft is also safer and should make the aircraft easier to certify than radical new eVTOL designs, the company believes. The full-scale aircraft will also be powered by a hybrid-electric system that can recharge the battery array in-flight while providing additional system redundancy. Comprehensive testing of this 50%-scale aircraft will reduce technical risk moving forward as Horizon continues development of its full-scale aircraft.

“With a 22-foot wingspan, 15 feet in length and capable of speeds over 250 kilometers per hour, this 50%-scale prototype is an impressive aircraft,” Brandon Robinson, CEO of Horizon Aircraft, says. “Furthermore, it will yield valuable information that will help to reduce technical risk as we move forward with detailed design of our full-scale aircraft.”

Horizon Aircraft will continue with rigorous testing of its 50%-scale prototype with a strong focus on safety. The company will soon proceed through transition testing and high-speed flight testing.