Canada-based Horizon Aircraft has completed initial hover testing of its Cavorite X5 half scale prototype.
Horizon Aircraft, which was founded in 2008 is developing the hybrid-electric Cavorite X5 to have an estimated top speed of 450 km/h (280mph) with a 500km (310 miles) range and a five passenger capacity. The Cavorite X5 uses fan-in-wing technology for horizontal flight.
The full-scale Cavorite X5 will be powered by a hybrid-electric system that will recharge the aircraft’s batteries during flight and provide system redundancy.
Brandon Robinson, CEO of Horizon Aircraft said, “The aircraft has exceeded expectations during initial hover testing. It is extremely stable, is capable of full hover at only 65% power and has hovered with 20% of its fans purposely disabled to test system redundancy.
“This is a large-scale aircraft, with a 22ft wingspan, over 15ft in length and capable of speeds over 175 mph. It continues to yield valuable data that is constantly improving our full-scale design.”
A tethered hovered test of Horizon Aircraft’s Cavorite X5 VTOL prototype (Image: Horizon Aircraft)
The company plans to conduct transition flight testing – when the aircraft moves from vertical to horizontal flight – within the next few months at the ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel located near Toronto, Ontario.
According to the Horizon, the Cavorite’s design allows it to fly in a low-drag configuration and is safer, more efficient, and easier to certify than “radical” new eVTOL designs.
Last summer Horizon was sold to its shareholders by its parent company Astro Aerospace, a year after the company was acquired by Astro. The company is also part of a US Air Force competition, AFWERX HSVTOL, to develop a concept for a high-speed VTOL aircraft.
