Horizon Aircraft's VTOL targets flight operations in icing conditions that ground most helicopters

New Horizon Aircraft Ltd., doing business as Horizon Aircraft, an advanced aerospace engineering company and developer of one of the world's first hybrid electric VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft, continues its progress in building its Cavorite X7 to fly under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) allowing the aircraft to fly in clouds, a differentiating feature no other eVTOL has achieved. The Cavorite X7 is also being built to certify for Flight Into Known Icing (FIKI), both certifications held by only a small handful of expensive, heavyweight helicopters. The Cavorite X7 aims to be able to fly critical missions such as medevac, search and rescue, and critical goods delivery reliably and year-round, with enhanced safety, speed, and lower operating costs.

With an ability to get in and out of difficult and inaccessible locations, helicopters serve many crucial functions. However, a helicopter's exposed rotor blades are susceptible to ice formation that can cause damage, severe instability, and loss of lift. These significant safety risks result in flight cancellations, a hold on emergency dispatch, and for the Canadian Coast Guard, interruptions and failures of marine aids to navigation.

"As a seasoned commercial helicopter pilot, I have experienced firsthand how known icing conditions can force delays, cancellations, and operational setbacks," stated Horizon Aircraft Senior Technical Project Manager, Vincent Hoog. "I joined Horizon Aircraft because the technology on the Cavorite X7 provides a real solution to these problems, and its enhanced performance will be able to serve more people and communities worldwide when they need it most."

This month, the Company kicked off its collaborative all-weather vertical propulsion project that was recently awarded a non-dilutive grant from Canada's INSAT program (The Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology). Advanced ice detection and protective technologies such as ice-phobic and electrothermal coating solutions will be tested on the Cavorite X7, preparing the aircraft to be certified to fly under IFR and in FIKI conditions.

Horizon Aircraft Co-Founder and CEO, Brandon Robinson stated, "The Cavorite X7 is one of the only modern VTOL aircraft designed to fly in clouds. This significant differentiator will provide all-weather operations with improved performance for all real-world operations. Horizon is currently building our full-scale aircraft and has secured sufficient capital and scaled our engineering team by 50% this year to be ready for testing."