Horizon Aircraft 将为其混合动力 eVTOL 飞机申请在结冰条件下的飞行认证

Horizon Aircraft is advancing its bid to certify the Cavorite X7 hybrid-electric VTOL for operations in cloud and icing conditions, positioning the programme as one of the few in the emerging advanced air mobility sector aiming for true all-weather capability. 

The Toronto-based manufacturer is pursuing both IFR and Flight Into Known Icing approvals – standards typically reserved for a small group of high-end helicopters – as it constructs the first full-scale prototype.

The Toronto-based manufacturer is positioning the X7 as a long-range, seven-seat VTOL aircraft able to maintain operations when most eVTOLs – and many helicopters – are grounded by cloud or ice. 

Horizon Aircraft aims for all-weather ops with Cavorite X7

Achieving those certifications would make the aircraft an outlier not only in the emerging advanced air mobility sector but also within the broader rotorcraft fleet.

The programme builds on the technical achievements Horizon has made over the past year. 

A large-scale demonstrator completed a shift from vertical to wing-borne flight during spring testing, a milestone for the aircraft’s fan-in-wing architecture. 

The X7 uses electrically driven lift fans embedded in the wings that close over during cruise, allowing the aircraft to fly like a conventional turboprop. 

For forward propulsion and range, Horizon selected a PT6A-series engine, which also supplies power to the hybrid system and supports the anti-icing equipment.

The company says this approach offers the redundancy needed for operations in remote and weather-prone regions, including medevac, search-and-rescue and essential cargo missions.

Tackling the issue of icing in the rotorcraft sector

“As a seasoned commercial helicopter pilot, I have experienced firsthand how known icing conditions can force delays, cancellations, and operational setbacks,” said Vincent Hoog, Senior Technical Project Manager at Horizon Aircraft. 

“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.”

Unlike conventional rotorcraft, which rely on exposed blades vulnerable to ice accretion, the X7’s lift fans are shrouded, enabling Horizon to integrate ice-phobic coatings, electrothermal protection and sensor-based detection. 

These technologies will be evaluated under an all-weather propulsion initiative supported by Canada’s Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology. 

The effort is intended to prepare the aircraft for IFR and icing certification pathways already under discussion with Transport Canada.

The manufacturer says it now has sufficient funding to carry the project through major test phases and has expanded its engineering team significantly as it constructs the first full-scale aircraft. 

Future propulsion for the hybrid eVTOL

The company has also been exploring future propulsion evolutions, including a hydrogen-electric variant studied with ZeroAvia, though that concept remains in the exploratory stage.

Brandon Robinson, Horizon’s Co-Founder and CEO, said the ability to operate in cloud and icing could set the aircraft apart from much of the eVTOL market: “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.”

Horizon expects flight trials of the full-scale prototype to begin after the current build is complete, with certification work to advance in parallel. 

If successful, the X7 could become one of the first VTOL aircraft capable of maintaining year-round service in regions where ice and low visibility routinely halt operations.

Featured image: Horizon Aircraft